Kebabs / Kababs

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 Persian soldiers who used their swords to grill meat over open-field fires. In India Ibn Battuta records that kebab was served in the royal houses since at least the Sultanate period, and even commoners would enjoy it for breakfast with naan.

 

Variants

Shish

Shish kebab is a dish consisting of meat threaded on a skewer and grilled. Any kind of meat may be used; cubes of fruit or vegetables are often threaded on the spit as well. Typical vegetables include eggplant, tomato, bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms.

In North American English, the word "kebab" usually refers to shish kebab.

Döner

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 by a cook named Hacı İskender.

Kathi

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.

Kakori

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

Chapli

Chapli kebab is a patty made from beef mince, and is one of the popular barbecue meals in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. The word Chapli comes from the Pashto word Chaprikh which means flat.

Burrah

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

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 yogurt used for the marination of the chicken. When prepared, the drumsticks are usually garnished by mint leaves and served with onions and Indian bread.

Galouti

One of the more delicate kebabs from South Asia, made of minced goat / buffalo 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.

Testi

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(testi means jug in Turkish). The pot is sealed with bread dough or foil and is broken when serving.

Chelow

Chelow kebab 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.

Kabab Koubideh

Kabab koobideh is an Iranian minced meat kabab which is made from ground lamb, beef or chicken, often mixed with parsley and chopped onions. Kabab Koobideh contains: ground meat, onion, salt, pepper, turmeric, and seasoning.

Kabab Barg

Kabāb-e Barg is a Persian style barbecued lamb, chicken or beef kebab dish. The main ingredients of Kabab Barg - a short form of this name - are fillets of beef tenderloin, lamb shank or chicken breast, onions and olive oil.

Sultan's Feast

At Persian restaurants, the combination of one Kabab Barg and one Kabab Koobideh is typically called Soltani, meaning 'Sultan's Feast.'

Joujeh Kabab

Jūje-kabāb consists of pieces of chicken first marinated in minced onion and lemon juice with saffron then grilled over a fire. It is sometimes served with grilled tomato and pepper. Jujeh kabab is one of the most popular Persian dishes

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Reading Further

biryani
Blend of spinach and spices, stuffed with cheese and cashewnuts(optional)in the centre.

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