Shawarma

Shawarma is a tasty and popular street food from the Middle East. It started a long time ago in the Levant during the time of the Ottoman Empire. To make shawarma, thin slices of meat are placed in a cone shape and cooked on a special spinning spit.

Traditionally, people use lamb or mutton for shawarma, but it can also be made with chicken, turkey, beef, falafel, or veal. As the meat cooks, the outer layer is cut off and is ready to be eaten. Shawarma is loved by many people as street food in the Arab world, Israel, and across the Greater Middle East.

Etymology

The word shāwarmā comes from an Arabic word that means "turning". This is because the meat is cooked on a rotating spit, like another Turkish dish called döner.

The name shāwarmā has been used in English and Arabic since the 1800s. An old dictionary from 1895 called it a type of rich roast meat.

History

See also: Doner kebab § History

Shawarma started as a way to cook meat by putting thin slices on a vertical spit and slowly roasting them. This method began in the Ottoman Empire in the 1800s and came from a dish called döner kebab. It influenced other foods like the Greek gyros and later inspired a Mexican dish called tacos al pastor, brought there by Lebanese immigrants. Today, shawarma is eaten in many places, including Ottawa, where many people with roots in Lebanon live.

Preparation

Shawarma is made from thin slices of meat such as lamb, mutton, veal, beef, chicken, or turkey. The meat is seasoned and placed on a skewer about 60 cm (20 in) tall. Sometimes, fat is added to keep the meat juicy. A motorized spit turns the meat slowly in front of a heating element. Thin pieces are cut off the rotating meat for serving, usually with a long, flat knife.

Spices used in shawarma can include cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, or paprika, and in some places baharat. Shawarma is often served in a sandwich or wrap, using flatbread like pita, shrak, laffa, or lavash.

Some people cook shawarma on a horizontal spit over hot coals instead of using a vertical spit and electrical heaters, similar to cağ kebabı.

Regional varieties

In the Middle East, chicken shawarma is usually served with garlic sauce, fries, and pickles. The garlic sauce changes with the meat. For chicken shawarma, toum sauce is made from garlic, vegetable oil, lemon, and egg white or starch. For beef shawarma, tarator sauce is made from garlic, tahini sauce, lemon, and water.

In Israel, most shawarma uses dark-meat turkey and is served with tahina sauce instead of yogurt. It is often topped with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, pickled vegetables, hummus, garlic mayo, tahini sauce, sumac, or amba mango sauce. Some places also offer grilled peppers, eggplant, or French fries as extra toppings.

In Armenia and Georgia, shawarma is made with thin cuts of meat that are marinated overnight in spices like coriander, cumin, cardamom, paprika, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Nigerian Sharwama is a popular street food in Lagos. In Nigeria, the vegetables are different, with shredded cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots instead of tomatoes or onions. Nigerian shawarma uses spices like garlic, thyme, cumin, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, and boullion cubes. Hot dogs or sausage are also added. The sauce is a mix of salad cream, mayo, and ketchup with pepper powder. There are three main types: chicken shawarma, beef shawarma, and a combo of both meats.