Shawarma (; ) is a
Middle Eastern
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
dish that originated in the
Levant
The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...
during the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
,
consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning
vertical spit. Traditionally made with lamb or mutton, it may also be made with chicken, turkey meat, beef,
falafel
Falafel (; , ) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin that features in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines. It is made from ground fava beans, chickpeas, or both, and mixed with herbs and spic ...
or veal.
The surface of the rotisserie meat is routinely shaved off once it cooks and is ready to be served. Shawarma is a popular street food throughout the
Arab world
The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...
, Levant, and the
Greater Middle East
The Greater Middle East is a geopolitical term introduced in March 2004 in a paper published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as part of the United States' preparatory work for the Group of Eight summit of June 2004. The pap ...
.
Etymology
The name in
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
is a rendering of the term in
Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...
( , ), referring to
rotisserie.
History
The shawarma technique—grilling a vertical stack of
meat
Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
slices and cutting it off as it cooks—first appeared in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century in the form of
döner kebab,
which both the Greek
gyros and the Levantine shawarma are derived from.
Shawarma led to the development during the early 20th century of the contemporary Mexican dish ''
tacos al pastor'' when it was brought there by
Lebanese immigrants.
The dish is also especially popular in
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, where a large community of the Lebanese diaspora exists.
Preparations
Shawarma is prepared from thin cuts of seasoned and marinated lamb, mutton, veal, beef, chicken, or turkey. The slices are stacked on a skewer about high. Pieces of fat may be added to the stack to provide extra juiciness and flavour. A motorized spit slowly turns the stack of meat in front of an electric or gas-fired heating element, continuously roasting the outer layer. Shavings are cut off the rotating stack for serving, customarily with a long, flat knife.
Spices may include
cumin
Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole ...
,
cardamom
Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...
,
cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...
,
turmeric
Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...
or
paprika
Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...
, and in some areas ''
baharat''.
Shawarma is commonly served as a sandwich or wrap, in a flatbread such as
pita
Pita ( or ; ) or pitta (British English), also known as Arabic bread (, ), as Lebanese bread and as kmaj (from the Persian ''kumaj''), is a family of yeast- leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Levant ...
,
shrak (saj),
laffa or
lavash.
In the Middle East, chicken shawarma is typically served with garlic sauce, fries, and pickles. The garlic sauce served with the sandwich depends on the meat. ''
Toum'' or ''toumie'' sauce is made from garlic, vegetable oil, lemon, and egg white or starch, and is usually served with chicken shawarma. ''
Tarator
Tzatziki (, , ), also known as ''cacık'' () or ''tarator'', is a class of dip, soup, or sauce found in the cuisines of Southeastern Europe and West Asia. It is made of salted strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, sa ...
'' sauce is made from garlic, tahini sauce, lemon, and water, and is served with beef shawarma.
In
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, most shawarma is made with dark-meat turkey, commonly served with
tahina
Tahini () (, or in Iraq: (rashi-راشي)) is a Middle Eastern condiment (a seed butter) made from ground sesame seeds. The most common variety comes from hulled seeds, but unhulled ones can also be used; the latter variety is slightly bitter, ...
sauce instead of yogurt for
kashrut
(also or , ) is a set of Food and drink prohibitions, dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to halakha, Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed ko ...
reasons.
It is often garnished with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, pickled vegetables,
hummus,
garlic mayo, tahini sauce,
sumac, or ''
amba'' mango sauce.
Some restaurants offer additional toppings, including grilled peppers, eggplant, or French fries.
In
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
and
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, shawarma is traditionally made with thin cuts of marinated meat which is left marinating overnight in spices such as coriander, cumin, cardamom, paprika, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Gallery
File:Shawarma-sandwich-01.jpg, Shawarma in pita
Pita ( or ; ) or pitta (British English), also known as Arabic bread (, ), as Lebanese bread and as kmaj (from the Persian ''kumaj''), is a family of yeast- leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Levant ...
File:Shawarma, Rostov-on-Don, Russia.jpg, Shawarma on lavash
File:Шаурма в лаваше сравнение 2 (cropped).jpg, Shawarma in "cheese" (top) and "regular" (bottom) lavash
File:Mixed Shawarma (2843435528).jpg, Mixed shawarma with rice and tomatoes
File:Shawarma preparation in central Aleppo, Syria.jpg, Slicing and preparation
See also
*
Al pastor
(from Spanish, "herdsman style"), ''tacos al pastor'', or ''tacos de trompo'' is a preparation of spit-grilled slices of meat, usually pork originating in the Central Mexican region of Puebla and Mexico City, where they remain most prominent; ...
*
Burrito
A burrito (, ) or burro in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. The term ''burrito'' was regional, specifically from Guanajuato, Guerre ...
*
Doner kebab
Doner kebab or döner kebab is a dish of Turkish cuisine, Turkish origin made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone is turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical cooking elemen ...
*
Gyros
*
Kati roll
A kati roll (sometimes spelt kathi roll; ) is a street-food dish originating from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. In its original form, it is a skewer-roasted kebab wrapped in a paratha bread, although over the years many variants have evolved a ...
References
External links
*
{{Street food
Arab cuisine
Armenian cuisine
Bahraini cuisine
Culture of Ottawa
Egyptian cuisine
Emirati cuisine
Georgian cuisine
Iraqi cuisine
Israeli cuisine
Jordanian cuisine
Kebabs
Kuwaiti cuisine
Lebanese cuisine
Middle Eastern grilled meats
Omani cuisine
Ottoman cuisine
Palestinian cuisine
Sandwiches
Saudi Arabian cuisine
Spit-cooked foods
Street food
Sudanese cuisine
Syrian cuisine