Shish taouk or shish tawook (; ) is a traditional marinated

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

shish kebab of

Ottoman cuisine Ottoman cuisine is the cuisine of the Ottoman Empire and its continuation in the cuisines of Greece, Turkey, the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East and Northern Africa. Sources The Ottoman palace kitchen registers (''matbah-i amire defterleri'') ...

that later became part of

Middle Eastern cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine includes a number of cuisines from the Middle East. Common ingredients include olives and olive oil, pitas, honey, sesame seeds, dates, sumac, chickpeas, mint, rice and parsley, and popular dishes include '' kebabs'', ...

. It is widely eaten in the Middle East and

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. A similar dish in

Persian cuisine Iranian cuisine comprises the culinary traditions of Iran. Due to the historically common usage of the term "Name of Iran, Persia" to refer to Iran in the Western world,Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. ...

is the traditional jujeh kabab. It is also served in kebab houses in many cities around the world.

Etymology

''Shish'' in Syrian-Arabic dialects or ''şiş'' in Turkish means

skewer A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roasting ...

. Some scholars assert that it is itself a Persian loanword from ''sikh'', others say that it comes from the root "sı" in old Turkish meaning "to cut". It has been adopted in

Egyptian Arabic Egyptian Arabic, locally known as Colloquial Egyptian, or simply as Masri, is the most widely spoken vernacular Arabic variety in Egypt. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and originated in the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt. The esti ...

, Lebanese-Arabic and Syrian-Arabic dialects. ''Tavuk'' () comes from old Turkic ''takagu'' and means chicken.

Preparation

The dish consists of cubes of chicken that are marinated, then skewered and grilled. Common marinades are based upon yogurt and lemon juice or tomato puree, though there are other variations.

Methods of serving

The dish is eaten either as a sandwich or on a platter with vegetables, sometimes with

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

French fries French fries, or simply fries, also known as chips, and finger chips (Indian English), are '' batonnet'' or '' julienne''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin. They are prepared by cutting potatoes into even strips, drying them, and f ...

. The

Turkish cuisine Turkish cuisine () is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, Ottoman cuisine (Osmanlı mutfağı), European influences, Seljuk Empire, Seljuk cuisine and the Turkish diaspora. Turkish cuisine with traditional Turkic peoples, Turkic elements s ...

version is generally served with rice, yogurt, cucumber salad and skewer-grilled vegetables. The

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

and Lebanese version is usually served with toum (a garlic paste sauce), hummus and

tabbouleh Tabbouleh (), also transcribed tabouleh, tabbouli, tabouli, or taboulah, is a Levantine salad of finely chopped parsley, soaked bulgur, tomatoes, mint, and onion, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper. Some variations a ...

. The sandwich version comes generally in a

flatbread A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are Unleavened bread, unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread. A Se ...

or as a dürüm, and frequently accompanied by lettuce, tomatoes, and pickled turnips.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shish Taouk Arab cuisine Middle Eastern grilled meats Lebanese cuisine Egyptian cuisine Iraqi cuisine Israeli cuisine Palestinian cuisine Chicken dishes Skewered kebabs Jordanian cuisine Syrian cuisine Turkish words and phrases Turkish cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine

Etymology

Preparation

Methods of serving

See also

References

External links