Kebabs

Kebab

Jujeh kabab, roast chicken kebab in Iranian cuisine
Course	Main course
Place of origin	Middle East
Region or state	Asia, the Balkans, the Levant, North Africa
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Meat

Kebab (also American kabob) are various Middle Eastern dishes originally based on grilled meat, and now with many variants. Two of the best-known kebab dishes are shish kebab and doner kebab.

In contemporary American and British English, a kebab is a common dish, consisting of a skewer with small pieces of meat or seafood, together with vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Also known as shish kebab or sometimes shashlik, kebabs are customarily prepared in homes and restaurants, and are usually cooked on a grill or barbeque. The word kebab may also be used as a general term in English to describe any similar-looking skewered food, such as brochette, satay, souvlaki, yakitori, or numerous small chunks of any type of food served on a stick. This is different from its use in the Levant, where shish (Persian/Mazandarani: شیش, Turkish: şiş) is the word for skewer, while kebab comes from the Persian word for grilling.

In English-speaking countries outside North America, the word kebab is also used generally to mean döner kebab, or the related shawarma or gyros, or sandwiches made with them, available from kebab shops as fast food and take-away meals. Many layers of meat are stacked onto a large vertical rotating spit; the outer surface is gradually cooked and sliced off, and typically served as a sandwich in pita or flatbread with salad and sauces. In Germany, the highly popular sandwich, introduced by Turkish immigrants, is called a döner, though Arab shops serve shawarma. In other countries in Europe and worldwide, the name used depends on the dish and on local customs.