Shawarma is a popular Middle Eastern street food that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire, evolving from the vertical spit roasting technique first seen in nineteenth century doner kebab, credited to a Turkish butcher named Iskender in Bursa. Thin slices of marinated meat, traditionally lamb or mutton but today often chicken, turkey, beef or veal, are stacked in an inverted cone on a tall skewer and roasted slowly in front of a rotating heat source, with the outer layer shaved off with a long flat knife as it cooks. It is commonly served as a sandwich or wrap in a flatbread such as pita, shrak, laffa or lavash, topped with chopped vegetables and assorted condiments. Shawarma also spread abroad, most notably influencing the Mexican dish tacos al pastor after Lebanese immigrants brought the technique to Mexico in the early twentieth century.
Facts
Disputed
Origin Period, From (Year)Sourced to the subject's own accountMarks the 19th century, when the vertical-spit grilling technique shawarma derives from first appeared as doner kebab in the Ottoman Empire; the source gives only the century, credited by Encyclopedia Britannica to a Turkish butcher in Bursa named Iskender. Origin RegionSourced to the subject's own accountThe Levant (Ottoman Empire) 1 Origin Period, To (Year)Sourced to the subject's own accountMarks 1895, the earliest specific attested date for the Arabic/English name itself, in Socrates Spiro's Egyptian Arabic-English dictionary. Classification
CourseSourced to the subject's own account FAQs
How is shawarma connected to tacos al pastor?
Lebanese immigrants brought the shawarma technique to Mexico in the early twentieth century and it led to tacos al pastor.
Shawarma led to the development during the early twentieth century of the contemporary Mexican dish tacos al pastor, when the technique was brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants.
Connections
Expresses Tradition
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In Cuisine
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Uses Ingredient
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Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
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Sources
1. Shawarma (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIntroduction
is a popular street food in the Middle East that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire
History section
The technique of shawarma-grilling a vertical stack of meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks-first appeared during the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century in the form of döner kebab, which both the Greek gyros and the Levantine shawarma are derived from.
Etymology, 1895 dictionary
The name is attested in English and Arabic as early as the 19th century; Socrates Spiro's 1895 Egyptian Arabic-English dictionary translated
History section
The technique of shawarma-grilling a vertical stack of meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks-first appeared during the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century in the form of döner kebab, which both the Greek gyros and the Levantine shawarma are derived from. The innovation of this technique is credited by Encyclopedia Britannica to a 19th-century Turkish butcher named Iskender, whose shop in Bursa offered grilled meats that were layered on the vertical spit and slowly carved off into pieces.
- In Cuisine: Armenian Cuisine, Wikipedia category list
- In Cuisine: Georgian Cuisine, Wikipedia category list
- In Cuisine: Israeli Cuisine, Wikipedia category list
- In Cuisine: Lebanese Cuisine, Wikipedia category list
- Expresses Tradition: Street Food Culture, Wikipedia category: Category:Street food
- Uses Ingredient: Chicken, Infobox food/dish main_ingredient field
- Uses Ingredient: Beef, Infobox food/dish main_ingredient field
- Uses Ingredient: Veal, Infobox food/dish main_ingredient field
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