Kebab Day

Kebabs have a long and august history, starting in the Middle East where initially they were simply grilled meat heavily seasoned. There are two particular varieties which those of us in the West are particularly familiar, being shish kebab and doner kebab. Shish kebab is far and away the more commonly known term and refers to a variety that is popular in Asia.

Most commonly made of lamb or beef, it has also been known to contain swordfish or chicken. While we usually see these dishes prepared with the vegetables and meat on the same skewer, they were initially done separately. The doner kebab, on the other hand, is most commonly known as the source of the meat for gyros.

Essentially it's layers of meat stacked into an inverted cone and slowly roasted by turning next to a vertical cooking element. The outer layer is slowly sliced as it cooks and served, most commonly in a pita as the famous gyro. This isn't the only thing a doner kebab is used for, but if the others top the gyro… we'd like to try them. Other varieties you might find are Kebab Kenjeh, Kebab Halabi, Burrah, Kalmi, and Galouti, just to name a few!