Shawarma Totally Explained

Everything about Shawarma totally explained

Shawarma (also spelled Chawarma, Shwarma, Shuarma, Shawerma, Shoarma or Shaorma) is a Middle Eastern-style sandwich usually composed of shaved lamb, goat, or chicken. Less commonly, it contains turkey, beef, or a mixture of meats. Shawarma is a popular dish and fast-food staple across the Middle East, and is consumed across the rest of the world as well. Shawarma is known as guss in Iraq; it's related to the gyros of Greece. Gyros, however, is typically made of pork meat, or less commonly chicken, although beef or lamb is usually used outside Greece and Cyprus. The classic shawarma combination is pita bread, hummus, tomato & cucumber, and of course the shawarma. The additional toppings includes tahini, and amba.

Etymology

The name shawarma (pronounced SHWAR-muh) comes from the Turkish word çevirme, meaning turning, and has its origins in Anatolia. It is quite similar to döner kebab in Turkey (for which it's another name - turning roast), though differing from it in the type of meat and spices used. The composition of the salad can be quite different as well.

Preparation

Shawarma is made by placing strips of meat or marinated chicken on a skewer. Animal fat and an onion or tomato are placed at the top of the stack to provide flavoring. The meat is then roasted slowly on all sides as the skewer rotates in front of or over a flame for a period of several hours (see rotisserie). Traditionally a wood fire is used, but recently a gas flame is more common. While many specialty restaurants might offer two or more, usually of different meats some establishments have one skewer.
   Different sort of meat can be used for it, The principle is that the meat will be placed on a skewer, and can be grilled even for the whole day. Chunks of meat fat make sure that the meat stays fat and juicy.
   After cooking, the meat is shaved off the skewer with a large knife, an electric knife or a small circular saw, dropping to a circular tray below to be retrieved. Shawarma is most commonly eaten as a fast food, made up into a sandwich with pita bread or rolled up in lafa (a sweet, fluffy flatbread) together with vegetables and a dressing. Vegetables commonly found in shawarma include cucumber, onion, tomato, lettuce, parsley, pickled turnips, pickled gherkins, cabbage, and in some countries, such as Jordan or Saudi Arabia, french fries.
   Common dressings include tahini (or tahina), Amba sauce (pickled mango with Chilbeh) and hummus, flavored with vinegar and spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Chicken shawarma is often served with garlic mayonnaise, pomegranate concentrate, skhug (a hot chili sauce), or any combination of the three. Once the sandwich is made, it might be dipped in the fat dripping from the skewer and then briefly seared against the flame. In Syria, Israel, and Lebanon, chicken shawarma sandwiches are generally toasted after being made up, whereas those made of lamb or beef are immediately eaten. Beef can be used for shawarma instead of lamb, and turkey is also occasionally used instead of chicken. In Saudi Arabia, goat is equally as common as beef or lamb and is often the preferred primary meat for purists. In Israel, a turkey/lamb fat mixture is the primary flavor, although chicken is also available. Less common alternatives include fish and sausage. Some shawarma stores use hot dog buns or baguettes, but most have pita and lafa. Shawarma is often served with a plate of french fries or home fries. Sometimes, beef shawarma—despite its name—contains some lamb in addition to the beef, to ensure juiciness.
   Shawarma is eaten either as a dish by itself, with grilled bread, or fresh pita bread, or with other Middle Eastern foods like Tabouli, Hummus, and Fattoush.

Around the world

While shawarma originated in Turkey under the name döner kebab (döner means "one that turns," versus çevirme, which means "turning"), it has become a ubiquitous form of fast food in many Arab countries, particularly Syria and Lebanon which have a deep-rooted tradition of preparing the dish. Here is a rundown of the areas and modes of preparation of shawarma in other places around the world:

: In Argentina, shawarma is beginning to grow in popularity, introduced by the sizeable Lebanese, Syrian, and Armenian immigrant populations which brought the Turkish food to the country with them. It is consumed mainly in Buenos Aires,Córdoba and Villa Gesell.

: In Australia there are large Greek, Turkish and Arab migrant populations who have introduced shawarma. Most commonly however it's known simply as a kebab, or more fully, a Döner kebab or, where Greek immigrants have settled, as a souvlaki, or less commonly, yiros. It has been enthusiastically embraced by Australians as a popular take-out dish with stands existing wherever people enjoy food and many only opening later in the evening especially in late night entertainment areas. It is almost a tradition to enjoy one on the way home after a big night, usually after alcohol consumption. On average, shawarma costs AUD$7.00 upwards and is usually sold wrapped in a large pita bread and comes with any, or all, of the following; beef, chicken or lamb as the meat options, salad consisting of lettuce, tomato and onion, cheese and egg as optional extras. Sauces usually include "garlic sauce" (Tzatziki), chilli sauce, hummus, tomato, and barbecue. Sometimes it's toasted after being wrapped in the pita bread.

: In Belgium, which has a relatively high Turkish immigrant population in its major urban centers, shawarma is widely available at restaurants. A very large, filling shawarma is available for around 5 euro. It is often made with a combination of lamb and beef and placed in a freshly-baked pita, garnished with salad and a choice of a zesty white garlic sauce or a spicy red sauce, or both.

: In Brazil, mainly in São Paulo, shawarma is a very popular street food, served with bread and a cup of artificial juice. There it's called Churrasquinho Grego (Little Greek Barbecue) or much less frequently Churrasco Turco (Turkish Barbecue) and costs around R$ 1,00 (US$ 0.50). It isn't associated in any way with the kebab/gyro appearance in fashion districts.

: In Bulgaria, shawarma has become a goulash-like dish, called cavarma (кавърма) or jahnia (яхния).

: In Canada's capital city Ottawa, there's a large Middle Eastern population and shawarma has become very popular, restaurants can be found very commonly throughout the city. The local version consists of a generous portion of shaved beef and/or chicken and vegetables wrapped in pita with garlic or sesame sauce. Garlic potatoes or rice are typical side dishes, but it's most common for shawarma to be served wrapped alone fast-food style. � In some regions of Canada, the term "shawarma" is interchangeable with donairs. In the Montreal region, "shawarma" specifically refers to the beef variety of this dish, while the chicken version is known as "Shish taouk".

: In the numerous Middle Eastern restaurants in Barranquilla, shawarma is a favorite of guests when choosing a light meal, since other main courses have heartier portions.

: Shawarma was first introduced to Denmark in 1980 by Turkish migrant workers, and has since become a staple. The local shawarma is served with julienned salad, onion, tomatoes, sour cream dressing and chilli oil in either a pita bread, rolled in a flat bread (dürüm) or served on pizza.

: In France, shawarma (or chawarma) is served in Arab and Israeli restaurants. The same item can be bought from ubiquitous fast food vendors under the name sandwich grec, sandwich Turc, or kebab. Although the name may imply a Greek origin, the sandwich isn't a Greek gyros. As a fast food item, it's frequently served with french fries (in the sandwich, not on the side) and garnished with a yogurt sauce (sauce blanche) and/or harissa, or a number of other sauces. Doner kebab or sandwich kebab is also ubiquitous at Algerian (or North African) and Turkish owned fast food places. The specifically Algerian and Tunisian touch is the optional harissa.

: In Ecuador, shawarma are a popular snack or light meal with vendors found all over the main metropolitan areas. They were introduced by the Middle Eastern immigrant population.

: In Germany, shawarma is vastly surpassed in popularity by döner kebab. Döner stands are very common around areas with large Turkish immigrant populations in most major cities. Shawarma, on the other hand, is quite rarely found; usually it's offered by small restaurants run by Lebanese immigrants. In Germany, shawarma is often based on chunks of chicken or turkey meat marinated in a spicy yoghurt sauce; ironically, this is much closer to the original Turkish döner kebab than the "German döner" which contains much minced meat and is seasoned but not marinated. Cinnamon and coriander are often used to season shawarma marinade, whereas it's hardly ever used to season döner meat.

: Shawarma found its way to India via the large number of non-resident Indians who live and work in Persian Gulf countries. Sometimes porotta, a south Indian flatbread, is used instead of pita.

: In Israel, shawarma (Hebrew: שווארמה) is a very popular street food and is offered in meat restaurants. It was introduced to the Jewish population by Arab residents as well as Jews who immigrated from Arab countries. Often the rotating skewer is placed at the front of the fast-food stand, exposed to the street, so that patrons can view the preparation process. Shawarma is served in a pita or a lafa and is usually eaten with salad, hummus or french fries. In Jerusalem, the lafa is called 'esh tanur'. One of the condiments in demand is Amba.

: In Puebla, shawarma was introduced by the numerous Middle-Eastern immigrants, mostly from Lebanon, but also Turkey and Iraq, in the early 1920s. Since then, it has become a traditional dish of the city, locally known as taco árabe, "Arabian taco", sold in taquerías orientales, "[Middle-]Eastern taco stands". Nonetheless, it's now usually made with pork and served either in pitas –locally called pan árabe, "Arabian bread"–, leavened bread –locally called torta árabe, "Arabian baguette", also called cemita–, or simply in flour tortillas. It is usually accompanied tahini and labneh –locally called jocoque– even though the skhug (or kharif) has been replaced with a thick chipotle-garlic sauce. In other parts of the country, most notably in Mexico City, the dish has adapted to the Mexican cuisine by replacing the pita with corn tortillas, in what is now called a taco al pastor, "Shepherd taco". and tahina. The original shawarma take-aways first appeared in Piccadilly Circus in the early 70's, catering mainly to tourists and Arab expatriates, but quickly spread to other parts of the U.K.

: Shawarma is usually found in regions and localities that host a concentration of Arab population, most notably in the Detroit area. An almost direct result of the conflict in the Middle East, shawarma is also popular among American soldiers when returning home.

West Africa: Introduced by Middle Eastern migrants, shawarma (spelled chawarma in Francophone countries) is a popular street food. In Nigeria, shawarma is usually served in Lebanese restaurants, and they're a popular delicacy among Arabs, Nigerians and Indians.

Trivia

In a segment on the Middle East conflict, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart made a reference to shawarma, at which point the audience broke out in spontaneous applause. This caused Stewart to ask, somewhat quizzically, "Are you applauding shawarma?"

In the American Dad! episode, "Stan of Arabia", there's an establishment in Saudi Arabia named Shawarma King, a likely parody of Burger King. There is, in fact, a restaurant called "Shawarma King" in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. There is another Shawarma King establishment in the metro Boston area. And there are two located in Ottawa, Ontario. Kalamazoo, MI is home to a chain called Shawarma King, consisting of sit down restaurants and a buffet.

The Rock Hyrax has been jokingly referred to as a "Shawarma Bear." This references its size and shape, which resemble shawarma.

The Exile, a very irreverent Moscow-based newspaper, often refers to "Shaurma Shuttles"; these vehicles are souped-up Ladas often driven by the children of wealthy immigrants from Georgia and Armenia. They are equivalent to Rice Rockets in the sense that according to public perception a substantial sub-population of immigrants prefers the type to more native vehicles.

The Romanian rap/happy hop crew Plus 2 made a song in 2005 with the title "Kebab-ul şi Shaorma" ("The Kebab and the Shawarma" in English) which satirized the Romanian people's post-communist fascination with these middle-eastern foods blaming them for an increase in obesity among the population.Further Information

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