

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[1][2] but originally meant
fried meat, not grilled meat.
[3] 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).
[3]
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.
[4]
In English, the word
kebab usually refers to shish kebab.
[5][3] 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.
[6] However, some experts contend that the dish has been native to the
Near East since ancient times.
[3] Indeed, there exist pictures of
Byzantine Greeks preparing shish kebabs, and a food described in
Homer's
Odyssey also bears a close resemblance.
[6] 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.
[3]
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.
[7]
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
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, 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, Australia and Scandinavia.
Kebab variants
For a list of Kebab variants, see .
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)
References
1.
^ kebab.
Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
2.
^ kebab definition.
Encarta World English Dictionary [North American Edition]. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-04-25.
3.
^ Davidson, Alan (1999). Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 429.
4.
^ Merriam-Webster Online - Shish Kebab
5.
^ (2001) in Prosper Montagne: Larousse Gastronomique. New York: Clarkson Potter, 646. ISBN 0-609-60971-8.
6.
^ Wright, Clifford A. (1999). A Mediterranean Feast. New York: William Morrow, 333.
7.
^ Achaya, K. T. (1998). A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 115.
External links
Kebab in cuisine of Turkey  |
|---|
| For more information, see the article about;Turkish cuisine, , . |
| Turkish kebabs |
|---|
| For more information, see the article about; Kebab. | | Dner kebab Şiş kebab İskender kebap Adana kebab Cağ kebabı Alinazik kebab Beyti kebab p şiş Kuzu şiş Manisa kebab Orman kebab Urfa kebab Testi kebab Tokat kebab | | Bahıvan kebab Buğu kebab Ciğerli kağıt kebab ardak kebab kertme kebab mlek kebab Hnkari kebab İslim kebap Kfte kebab Kuyu kebab Kuzu incik kebab Patates kebab Patlıcan kebab Ramazan kebab Susuz kebab Tandır kebab Talaş kebab Tas kebab Tavuk şiş | | List of Turkish cuisine kebabs |
|
| Turkish cuisine related topics |
| Beverage • Instrument • Habit • Restaurant |
| Kebab • Meze • Charcuterie • Dolma and Sarma • Dessert • Soup • Kfte • Salad • Pilav • Pasta • Pastry • Vegetable dish • Egg dish • Vegetabled meat • Roasted meat • Chicken • Seafood • Cheese and milk product |
|
|
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves direct heat. Devices that grill are called grills. The definition varies widely by region and culture.
British English
In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries (except Canada), grilling generally refers to cooking food
..... Click the link for more information. Grilling is a form of cooking that involves direct heat. Devices that grill are called grills. The definition varies widely by region and culture.
British English
In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries (except Canada), grilling generally refers to cooking food
..... Click the link for more information. The term Middle Eastern cuisine refers to the various cuisines of the Middle East. Despite their similarities, there are considerable differences in climate and culture, so that the term is not particularly useful.
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South Asian cuisine includes the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. The staple foods in this region are wheat and rice.
See:
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..... Click the link for more information. lamb, hoggett or mutton are culinary names for the meat of a domestic sheep. The meat of a sheep a year old or younger is generally known as lamb, whereas the meat of an older sheep is either hoggett or mutton
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worldwide view of the subject.
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Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle.
..... Click the link for more information. chicken (Gallus gallus) is a type of domesticated fowl, believed to be descended from the wild Indian and south-east Asian Red Junglefowl.
The chicken is one of the most common and wide-spread domestic animals.
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Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig (Sus scrofa), often specifically the fresh meat but can be used as an all-inclusive term. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide.
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Halal (حلال, ḥalāl, halaal) is an Arabic term meaning "permissible".
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Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus, Hebrew: כַּשְרוּת) refers to Jewish dietary laws.
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al-‘Arabiyyah in written Arabic (Kufic script):
Pronunciation: /alˌʕa.raˈbij.ja/
Spoken in: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman,
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fɒːɾˈsiː in Perso-Arabic script (Nasta`liq style):
Pronunciation: [fɒːɾˈsiː]
Spoken in: Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and areas of Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
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For other uses of "fry" or "frying", see .
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or fat. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed.
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Turkish (Türkçe, ] (help info )
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skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold small pieces of food together while grilling.
Metal skewers are typically stainless steel and will have a pointed tip on one end and a grip of some kind on the other end for ease of removing the food.
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Grilling is a form of cooking that involves direct heat. Devices that grill are called grills. The definition varies widely by region and culture.
British English
In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries (except Canada), grilling generally refers to cooking food
..... Click the link for more information. Roasting is a cooking method that utilizes dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization of the surface of the food, which is considered a flavor enhancement. Meats and most root and bulb vegetables can be roasted.
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S. melongena
Binomial name
Solanum melongena
L.
The eggplant, aubergine or brinjal (Solanum melongena) is a plant of the family Solanaceae
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S. lycopersicum
Binomial name
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Synonyms
Lycopersicon lycopersicum
Lycopersicon esculentum
The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum
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C. annuumBinomial name
Capsicum annuumL.
For green peppercorns, see .
Bell pepper is a cultivar group of the species
Capsicum annuum.
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Binomial name
Allium cepa
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Many plants in the genus Allium are known by the common name onion but, used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa.
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A Mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of fungus typically produced above ground on soil or on their food source. The standard for the name mushroom is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus
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skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold small pieces of food together while grilling.
Metal skewers are typically stainless steel and will have a pointed tip on one end and a grip of some kind on the other end for ease of removing the food.
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Turkish (Türkçe, ] (help info )
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Turkic peoples are a group of peoples residing in northern, central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. These peoples share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds.
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