Kebab

Kebab in an Iranian Restaurant.

Kebab (also occasionally transliterated as kebap, kabab, kebob, kabob, kibob, kebhav, kephav) refers to a variety of meat dishes in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Caucasian, Central Asian, South Asian and some of the African cuisines, consisting of grilled or broiled meats wrapped in bread accompanied by lettuce and tomatoes with garlic sauce.

The most common kebabs include lamb and beef, although others use goat, chicken, fish, or shellfish. Observant Muslims and Jews do not use pork for kebabs because of religious and cultural prohibitions, but pork kebabs can be found in Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, United Kingdom and India, especially in the state of Goa. Like other ethnic foods brought by immigrants and travellers, the kebab has become part of everyday cuisine in multicultural countries around the globe.

Etymology

The word kabab (کباب) is ultimately from Arabic and originally meant fried meat, not grilled meat on a stick. The Arabic word possibly derives from Aramaic כבבא kabbābā, which probably has its origins in Akkadian kabābu meaning "to burn, char". In the 14th century, 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. Kebab was used frequently in Persian books of that time to refer to meatballs made of ground or pounded chicken or lamb . In the modern period, kebab gained its current meaning of shish kebab, whereas earlier shiwa` شواء had been the Arabic word for grilled meat. Kebab still retains its original meaning in the names for stew-like dishes such as tas kebab (bowl kebab). Similarly, kebab halla is an Egyptian dish of stewed beef and onions.

History

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

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

The origin of kebab may lie in the short supply of cooking fuel in the Near East, which made the cooking of large foods difficult, while urban economies made it easy to obtain small cuts of meat at a butcher's shop. The phrase is essentially Persian in origin and Arabic tradition has it that the dish was invented by medieval Iranic soldiers who used their swords to grill meat over open-field fires. However, the dish has been native to the Near East and East Mediterranean—especially Greece—since ancient times. Indeed, there exist pictures of Byzantine Greeks preparing shish kebabs and such food is attested in Ancient Greece as early as 8th century BCE (archaic period) in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and in classical Greece, amongst others in the works of Aristophanes, Xenophon and Aristotle .

Ibn Battuta records that 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.

Variants

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

Shish kebab

Shish kebab is a dish consisting of meat threaded on a skewer, and grilled. Any kind of meat may be used, small cubes of meat, fruit or vegetables are often threaded on the skewer as well. Typical vegetables include eggplant, tomato, bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms. In most dialects of North American English, the word kebab usually refers to shish kebab.

Döner kebab

Slicing döner kebab off a rotating vertical spit.

Main article: Döner kebab

Döner kebab, literally "rotating kebab" in Turkish, is sliced lamb, beef or chicken, slowly roasted on a vertical rotating spit. The Middle Eastern shawarma, Mexican tacos al pastor and Greek gyros are all derived from the Turkish döner kebab which was invented in Bursa in the 19th century. 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 many parts of Europe. Döner kebab is said to be the best-selling fast food in Germany and Poland as well as being popular in many other European countries, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

In Australia and the UK, kebabs (or Döner meat and chips) are most popularly eaten after a night out, representing a large part of nightlife culture. As a result, many kebab shops (and vans) will do their main business in the hours around closing time for local pubs and clubs (usually from 10 pm to 4 am). The same applies for Belgium, The Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and Scandinavia. It is therefore not uncommon to find similar late-night kebab vending shops in holiday-clubbing destinations such as Ibiza.

Health concerns about doner kebab, including unacceptable salt and fat levels and improper labeling of meat used, are repeatedly reported in UK media. The German-style döner kebab was supposedly invented by a Turkish immigrant in Berlin in the 1970s, and became a popular German take-away food during the 1990s, but is almost exclusively sold by Turks and considered a Turkish specialty in Germany.

Kathi kebab

Chicken tikka kebab served in an Indian restaurant in Mumbai, Maharashtra

Cooked in a tandoor, Kathi kebab is one of the most famous tandoori dishes, besides tandoori chicken, which has made tandoori cuisine famous worldwide. Made with beef, chicken or lamb meat, it is mostly prepared with a mix of spices, and cooked in a tandoor with skewers. The radiant heat from the tandoor slowly cooks the meat and due to the lack of direct heat from the fire, the juices remain inside while adding flavour, keeping the meat's moisture intact. It is usually served with rice, or a variety of Indian breads, along with onions and mint sauce.

Kakori Kebab

Kakori Kebab is a South Asian Kebab attributed to the city of "Kakori" in Uttar Pradesh, India. The kabab is made of finely ground mince goat meat with spices and then charcoal grilled on a skewer. It is popularly had with Roomali Roti (A very thin bread), onion and a mint chutney (sauce)

This is a difficult kebab to make, because the meat must be delicately spiced, ground to a fine paste and kept moist to attain a "melt in the mouth" quality. Many stories surround the finesse that goes into selecting and marinating the meat.

Most restaurants serving Mughlai cuisine in India have this included in their menu, although finding a good Kakori Kebab is a tough task for a connoisseur. The best places to find this kebab are probably in Old Delhi and Lucknow. It would be better to stick to the old hands like family run businesses to try this kebab.

Chapli kebab

Chapli kebab or Chappal kebab is one of the popular barbecue meals in Pakistan which is made from beef mince. It is prepared flat and round and served with yoghurt sauce (raita), salad and naan bread. The dish originates from Mardan (Takhtbhai) and Mansehra (Qalanderabad) regions of Pakistan.

Burrah Kebab

Burrah Kebab is another Kebab from Mughlai Cuisine, fairly popular in South Asia. This is usually made of Goat meat, liberally marinated with spices and charcoal grilled.

Kalmi kebab

Kalmi Kebab served with onions in Delhi, India.

Kalmi kebab is one of the popular snacks in Indian cuisine. The dish is made by marinating chicken drumsticks and placing them in a tandoor. Various kinds of freshly ground Indian spices are added to the yoghurt used for the marination of the chicken. When prepared, the drumsticks are usually garnished by mint leaves and served with onions and Indian bread.

The origins of this dish trace to Balochistan. It became popular in northern India during the Mughal era and its popularity in various parts of India, especially Delhi, has been maintained since. The kebab is also popular among the Indian diaspora around the world.

Galouti Kebab

One of the more delicate Kebabs from South Asia, made of minced goat / beef meat. It was supposedly made for a Nawab in Lucknow who could not eat the regular Kebabs due to weak teeth.

The Galouti Kebab is part of the "Awadhi Cuisine". Along with the Lucknowi biryani and Kakori Kebab, this is one of the outstanding highlights of the great food tradition from the Awadh region in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Many leading Indian hotel chains have taken to popularising the Awadhi food tradition, with the Galouti Kebab being a Pièce de résistance.

The home of this kebab is Lucknow. It is most famously had at the almost iconic eatery "Tundey Miyan" at Old Lucknow. It is also a recommended speciality at the popular restaurant "Great Kabab Factory" at the Radisson Hotels in Delhi and Chennai.

Chelow kabab

Chelow kabab (Template:Lang-fa) is a national dish of Iran. The meal is simple, consisting of steamed, saffroned basmati or Persian rice (chelow) and kabab, of which there are several distinct Persian varieties. This dish is served everywhere throughout Iran today, but traditionally was most closely associated with the northern part of the country.

It is served with the basic Iranian meal accompaniments, in addition to grilled tomatoes on the side of the rice, and butter on top of the rice. It is an old northern tradition (probably originating in Tehran) that a raw egg yolk should be placed on top of the rice as well, though this is strictly optional, and most restaurants will not serve the rice this way unless it is specifically requested. Somagh (powdered sumac) is also made available and its use varies based on tastes to a small dash on the rice or a heavy sprinkling on both rice and meat, particularly when used with red (beef/veal/lamb) meat.

In the old bazaar tradition, the rice (which is covered with a tin lid) and accompaniments are served first, immediately followed by the kababs, which are brought to the table by the waiter, who holds several skewers in his left hand, and a piece of flat bread (typically nan-e lavash) in his right. A skewer is placed directly on the rice and while holding the kabab down on the rice with the bread, the skewer is quickly pulled out. With the two most common kababs, barg and koobideh, two skewers are always served. In general, bazaar kabab restaurants only serve these two varieties, though there are exceptions.

Testi kebab as served in Goreme, Turkey

The traditional beverage of choice to accompany chelow kabab is doogh, a Persian sour yogurt drink, flavored with salt and mint, and sometimes made with carbonated mineral water.

Testi kebab

A dish from Central Anatolia and the Mid-Western Black Sea region, consisting of a mixture of meat and vegetables cooked in a clay pot or jug over fire. The pot is sealed with bread dough or foil and is broken when serving.

In Azerbaijan

Tika kabab and lyulya kabab from mutton, as served in Kechresh, Quba Rayon, north-eastern Azerbaijan.

The main varieties include tika kabab, lyulya kabab (doyma kabab in some places), tas kababa and tava kabab. The meat for tika kabab is prepared in basdirma (an onion gravy) and then goes onto the ramrods. When served, it could be adorned with sauce-like pomegranate addon (narsharab) and other condiments, and may also be served wrapped in Lavash.

In Malaysia

Kebabs in Malaysia are generally sold at pasar malam (night markets) and in shopping mall food courts. Normally the meat, after being cut from the spit is pan fried with onions and chilli sauce then placed into a pita bread pocket before being filled with condiments such as tomatoes, mayonnaise, onion and lettuce.

Similar dishes

Main article: List of kebabs

Anticuchos (Andean) · Banderilla (México) · Brochette (French) · Ćevapi (Balkan) · Chuanr (Chinese) · Kawap (Uygur) · Espetada (Portuguese) · Espetinho (Brazilian) · Frigărui and Mititei (Romanian) · Kebakko (Finland) · Khorovatz (Armenian) · Mtsvadi (მწვადი -Georgian) · Pinchitos (Spanish Andalusian) · Rablóhús (Hungarian) · Satay (Southeast Asia) · Shashlik (Russian) · Sosatie (South African) · Souvlaki (Σουβλάκι- Greek) · Spiedies (New York State) · Spiedino (Italian) · Suya (Nigerian) · Kkochi (Korean) · Yakitori (Japanese).

See also

• List of kebabs
• Kebab van