Skewer Your Meat

Europe

Azerbaijan

Tava kebab is a famous meat dish prepared with local herbs, vegetables, and eggs. First, minced mutton or beef is mixed with finely chopped onions and garlic then shaped into meatballs and pan-fried. Along with the meat in the pan tomatoes, green chilis, cilantro, and mint are added. A beaten egg can be added to the pan to blend everything together or when served an egg sunny-side up placed on top of the meat.

Lyulya kebab is popular all over the Caucasus region. It is a mix of ground lamb with finely chopped onions and seasoned with salt and black pepper. Then it is skewered and grilled. It can also be made with poultry or fish.

Georgia

Mtsvadi is a skewered shish kebab prepared with ground pork, mutton, or veal. The meat is marinated in a mix of lemon juice, pomegranate juice, tarragon, salt, pepper, and chopped onions. It is made outdoors over an open fire and served with tkamali plum sauce, raw onion rings, sliced tomatoes, and pomegranate seeds.

Cyprus

Sheftalia is a traditional Cypriot sausage that is made with a mix of minced pork and lamb, chopped red onion, and parsley, wrapped in caul fat (a thin fatty membrane that lines the stomach of cows, sheep, and pigs). The meat mixture is seasoned with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Then it is shaped into small sausages, skewered and grilled. During grilling the caul fat renders and gives the sausages a crispy, caramelized exterior, keeping the meat inside tender and juicy.

Greece

Souvlaki consists of small cubes of skewered and grilled pork, chicken, lamb, or beef. It has become a popular fast food item served in small eateries.

Gyros is another popular Greek street food that is prepared with pork, chicken, lamb, or veal. It is cooked on a vertical spit. The meat is sliced in thin shavings and placed in pita bread with sauces like tzatziki and with vegetables like tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and cucumbers.

Turkey

Beyti is a kebab that originated in Istanbul. It is prepared with ground lamb or beef seasoned with spices and grilled on a skewer Once done it is wrapped in a lavash, cut into pieces, and topped with tomato sauce and yogurt.

The ground meat is mixed with onions, eggs, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, breadcrumbs, paprika, and black pepper. The lavash is brushed with butter then wrapped around the grilled meat into a roll. The roll is cut diagonally and topped with sauce made of tomatoes and butter. The yogurt is served in the center of the roll or on the side.

Tokat kebab originated from Tokat. It is prepared with lamb shanks, potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, garlic, and olive oil. The meat is cut into chunks, large slices of eggplant, and thick vertically cut slices of tomatoes and potatoes. The ingredients are placed in a baking dish or skewered and drizzled with oil then roasted until tender. The dish is roasted under a whole bulb of garlic. Traditionally it is made in special clay ovens.

Islim kebabs resemble little packages wrapped in aubergine (eggplant) slices. The aubergine slices are wrapped around chunks of lamb or beef, or kofte, prepared with ground meat, along with a robust tomato sauce. It is assembled and baked. Before serving top with a slice of tomato and green pepper. A toothpick is inserted through every package.

Adana kebab is a popular skewered meat dish named after one of the most famous kebab cities, Adana. The kebab is prepared with ground lamb and tail fat kneaded together along with garlic, onion, paprika, and hot red pepper flakes that give it a deep red color and spicy flavor. The meat is placed around large, flat metal skewers and grilled. It is traditionally served on a platter over flatbreads, peppers, and tomatoes or placed into pita bread along with a salad with parsley and red onions.

Asia

Iran

Nan-e-kebab is a term that refers to a variety of dishes that are a combination of kebabs and traditional Iranian bread. The kebabs are made with lamb, beef, or chicken. They're accompanied by lavash, a flatbread thought to be the oldest Middle Eastern bread. The kebabs are accompanied by fresh or grilled vegetables and a glass of doogh, traditional Iranian yogurt.

Kebab Hosseini is a kebab prepared with lamb or beef, small and large onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, butter, salt and pepper. The pieces of seasoned meat and vegetables are threaded on thin wooden or metal skewers. The large onion and tomato slices are placed at the bottom of a pot, topped with a skewered layer and some butter and the layers are repeated until there are no more skewers then the dish is cooked until all the liquid has evaporated and served.

India

Gola kebab is made with skewered meatballs. The meatballs are prepared with mutton, onions, different herbs and spices like red chilli powder, turmeric, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and ginger garlic paste. Once the meatballs are shaped they are fried or baked golden brown. They're accompanied by chutneys and served as an appetizer or side dish to vegetables based dishes.

Kalmi kebab was influenced by Mughlai cuisine and is particularly popular in Punjab. The dish is prepared with chicken drumsticks that have been marinated and shallow-fried on high heat until deep golden brown. The meat can also be prepared in a tandoor oven. The meat marinade is a mix of yogurt, cream, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, turmeric powder, cashews, jeera powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, and black pepper. It is usually served as an appetizer with pickled onions, rice, or chutney on the side.

Nepal

Sekuwa is a dish prepared with grilled and skewered lamb, pork, chicken, or goat meat. Before grilling the meat is combined with fresh herbs and spices. Usually, it is served with baji (pounded rice) and achar (tomato pickle).

Lebanon

Shawarma is meat that has been marinated and spit-roasted. Its origins go back to the Ottoman Empire era. It is made with lamb, chicken, beef, turkey or a mix of meats. Then slow-cooked for hours and basted with their own juices and fat.

Pakistan

Bun kebab is a traditional Pakistani street food that originated in Karachi. The kebab consists of a bun filled with shami kebab, chutney, raita, slices of onion, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The filled bun is seared until golden and crispy.

Seekh kebab is made with minced meat like lamb, onions, garlic, ginger, coriander, lemon juice, yogurt, and garam masala. The meat is placed on skewers and grilled over hot coals. It can be prepared in a tandoor oven. The kebab is served hot with salads, onions, fries, mint chutney and flatbreads on the side.

Afghanistan

Chopan kebab is a specialty of Pashtun cuisine. It is prepared with lamb roasted over a traditional Afghan charcoal brazier known as mankal. Today it is a popular street food called Dukan-e-kababi. It is often made with jijeq - pieces of fat from the sheep's tail added to the lamb skewers for added flavor. If preferred the meat can be marinated.

Africa

Morocco

Boulfaf is prepared with grilled and skewered lamb liver rubber with cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. It is served hot with the same spice mixture used to rub the meat. It is popular during Eid-al-Adha/The Feast of Sacrifice in Morocco.

Comoros

Mshakiki is a barbecued meat specialty in Comoros prepared with cubes of marinated beef steak and skewered and grilled until tender and juicy. The marinade consists of ginger paste, garlic paste, grated papaya, chilli powder, turmeric, oil, tomato paste, lemon juice, and curry powder. The dish is usually served with breadfruit, bananas, and cassava. The Comorian dish is popular all over East Africa.

South Africa

Sosatie is a dish prepared with pieces of lamb marinated with onions, garlic, hot peppers, tamarind juice, and curry leaves. The meat is skewered and barbecued on a traditional South African braai. For more flavor peppers, apricots, prunes, or mushrooms can be added to the skewers. Chicken and beef can also be used. When served it is accompanied by rice or salad.

North America

Canada

Halifax donair is a Nova Scotian staple. The dish consists of pita bread filled with roasted shaved beef, onions, tomatoes, and signature donair sauce. The beef is flavored with secret spices among them salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, and paprika. Before grilling the pita bread is dipped in water. The dish is made special with the sweet donair sauce which is a combination of garlic, vinegar, sugar, and condensed milk. It is typically wrapped in aluminium foil and served. It was declared the official food of Halifax in 2015.