Shawarma

Shawarma
Alternative names chawarma, shaurma, showarma,[1] other variations
Type Meat
Place of origin Ottoman Empire[2]
Region or state Middle East, Levant
Serving temperature Hot
Main ingredients Meat: lamb, chicken, turkey, beef
Sandwich: Shawarma meat, pita or wrap bread, chopped or shredded vegetables, pickles and assorted condiments
Similar dishes Doner kebab, Al pastor, Gyros

Shawarma (/ʃəˈwɑːrmə/; Arabic: شاورما), also shaurma and other spellings, is a Middle Eastern meat preparation based on the doner kebab of Ottoman Turkey. Originally made of lamb or mutton, today's shawarma may also be chicken, turkey, beef, or veal, cut in thin slices and stacked in a cone-like shape on a vertical rotisserie.[3][4][1] Thin slices are shaved off the cooked surface as it continuously rotates.[5][6] Shawarma is one of the world's most popular street foods, especially in the countries of the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula.[7]

History

Shawarma in Lebanon, 1950

Grilling a vertical spit of stacked meat slices, and cutting it off as it cooks, first appeared in the 19th century in Ottoman Turkey, where it was known as döner kebap.[8][9] Shawarma, like gyros, is derived from it.[2][10] Shawarma was brought to Mexico by immigrants from the Middle East, where it evolved in the early 20th century into tacos al pastor.[2]

Etymology

Shawarma is an Arabic rendering of Turkish çevirme [tʃeviɾˈme] 'turning', referring to the turning rotisserie.[11] The Turkish and Greek names, döner and gyros, similarly refer to turning.

Preparations

Shawarma is prepared from thin cuts of seasoned marinated lamb, mutton, beef, chicken, or turkey. The slices are stacked on a skewer approximately 2 feet (60 cm) high. Lamb fat may be added to provide extra moisture and flavor. A motorized spit slowly turns the stack of meat in front of a heating element, continuously roasting the outer layer. Shavings are cut off the rotating stack of meat for serving, customarily with a long sharp knife. Shawarma may be served on a plate, but is most commonly prepared as a wrap inside of a flatbread such as laffa or pita. It is often served with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, pickled vegetables, and tahini sauce or amba mango sauce.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Marks, Gil (2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780544186316 via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 3 Prichep, Deena; Estrin, Daniel. "Thank the Ottoman Empire for the taco al pastor". pri.org. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  3. Albala, Ken, ed. (2011). Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 197, 225, 250, 260–261, 269. ISBN 9780313376269 via Google Books.
  4. Davidson, Alan (21 August 2014). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. p. 259. ISBN 9780191040726 via Google Books.
  5. Philip Mattar (2004). Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle Eastern (Hardcover ed.). Macmillan Library Reference. p. 840. ISBN 0028657713. Shawarma is a popular Levantine Arab specialty.
  6. John A La Boone III (2006). Around the World of Food: Adventures in Culinary History (Paperback ed.). iUniverse, Inc. p. 115. ISBN 0595389686. Shawarma - An Arab sandwich similar to the gyro.
  7. Street food around the world : an encyclopedia of food and culture. Santa Barbara, California. pp. 18, 339. ISBN 1598849557. OCLC 864676073.
  8. Eberhard Seidel-Pielen (May 10, 1996). "Döner-Fieber sogar in Hoyerswerda" [Doner fever even in Hoyerswerda]. ZEIT ONLINE (in German). Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  9. Kenneth F. Kiple, Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas, eds., Cambridge World History of Food, Cambridge, 2000. ISBN 0-521-40216-6. Vol. 2, p. 1147
  10. Aglaia Kremezi and Anissa Helou, "What's in a Dish's Name", "Food and Language", Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, 2009, ISBN 190301879X
  11. Reporter, Mohammed N. Al Khan, Staff (31 July 2009). "Shawarma: the Arabic fast food". gulfnews.com.
  • Media related to Shawarma at Wikimedia Commons
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