Kebab

Left to right: Chenjeh Kabab, Kabab Koobideh, Jujeh Kabab in an Afghan restaurant.

Kebab (also transliterated as kabab, kebap, kabob, kibob) refers to a variety of grilled/broiled meat dishes in Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines. Kebabs usually consist of lamb and beef, though particular styles of kebab have chicken or fish. Pork is never used for kebabs by Muslims or Jews because of the religious prohibition on the meat, but is sometimes used by non-Halal or non-Kosher sellers.

Etymology

Beef kebabs, before they are grilled

The word kabab (کباب) is ultimately from Arabic or Persian but originally meant fried meat, not grilled meat. In the 14th century dictionary Lisan al'Arab, kebab is defined to be synonymous with tabahajah, a Persian word for a dish of fried meat pieces. The Persian word was considered more high-toned in the medieval period, and as a result, kebab was used infrequently in Arabic books of that time. Only in the Turkish period, with the appearance of the phrase shish kebab, did kebab gain its current meaning, whereas earlier shiwa` شواء had been the Arabic word for grilled meat. However, kebab still retains its original meaning in the names for stew-like dishes such as tas kebab (bowl kebab).

Shish kebab

Shish kebab (Turkish: şiş kebap) is a dish consisting of small cubes of meat threaded on a skewer (şiş in Turkish) that are grilled or roasted. Any kind of meat may be used, and fruit or vegetables are often placed on the skewer as well. Typical vegetables included are eggplant, tomato, bell pepper, onion and mushrooms. The phrase literally means 'skewer of grilled meat' in Turkish.

In English, the word kebab usually refers to shish kebab. In its current meaning, the phrase is essentially Turkish in origin, and tradition has it that the dish was invented by medieval Turkic soldiers who used their swords to grill meat over open-field fires. However, some experts contend that the dish has been native to the Near East since ancient times. Indeed, there exist pictures of Byzantine Greeks preparing shish kebabs, and a food described in Homer's Odyssey also bears a close resemblance. It has been speculated that shish kebab's origins lie in the short supply of ready fuel in the Near East, which made the cooking of large foods difficult. Moreover, the urban nature of civilization there made it easy to obtain small cuts of meat at a butcher's shop.

Ibn Battuta records that shish kebab was served in the royal houses of India since at least the Sultanate period, and even commoners would enjoy it for breakfast with naan.

In Andalusia, a variant of the shish kebab, known as Pinchos Morunos or Moorish sticks, is very popular, usually eaten during Summer barbecues. These are usually made of Pork or Chicken meat. In the town of Melilla, beef meat is generally used.

Döner kebab

İskender kebap, the original döner kebab invented in Bursa, Turkey.

Main article: Döner kebab

Döner kebab, literally "rotating meat" in Turkish, is sliced lamb or chicken loaf which is slowly roasted on a vertical rotating spit. It is similar to gyros, shawarma, and Taco al pastor. Döner kebab is most popularly served in pita bread, as it is best known, with salad, but is also served in a dish with a salad and bread or French fries on the side, or used for Turkish pizzas called pide or "kebabpizza". Take-out döner kebab or shawarma restaurants are common in some parts of Europe. Döner kebab is said to be the best-selling fast food in Germany, Poland and Romania as well as being popular in the UK, France, The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Canada, Ireland and Australia. Take-out gyros are popular in the United States, where beef and lamb are typically used; shawarma is available in ethnic neighborhoods, but döner kebab is mostly unknown outside of large cities like New York City.

In the UK kebabs are most popularly eaten after a night out and many kebab shops will do their main business in the hours around closing time for local pubs and clubs. The same applies for The Netherlands, Ireland, Australia and Scandinavia.

Kebab variants

For a list of Kebab variants, see List of Kebabs.

Similar dishes

Anticuchos (Andean States), Brochette (French), Ćevapi (Balkans), Pinchitos (Spanish), Espetada (Portuguese), mtsvadi (Georgia), Souvlaki (Greek), Kebakko (Finland), Satay (Southeast Asia), Shashlik (Russian), Yakitori (Japanese), Rablóhús (Hungarian), Frigărui (Romania), Spiedies (New York State), Spiedino (Italian cuisine), Suya (Nigerian cuisine), Kkochi (Cuisine of Korea), Sosatie (Cuisine of South Africa)，Kawap（Uygur）

External links

• India Kebabs, IndiaCurry.com
• Turkish Kebabs, at TurkishCook.com
• Kebab Recipes Pakistani Kebab Recipes @ KhanaPakana.Com
• Turkish Recipes, Collection of various Turkish food
• Photos of different Iranian Kebabs
• The Chili Source, has images of several types of kebabs
• Shailendra Kekade : Gourmet Extraordinaire, Vie Lounge and Deck, Mumbai.