Shawarma#In Montreal

{{Infobox food

| name = Shawarma

| alternate_name = Showarma, shaurma, shoarma, etc.

| image = Шаурма 6.jpg

| image_size = 300

| caption = A chicken shawarma wrap

| place_of_origin = Middle East{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/shawarmah|title=shawarma|website=www.britannica.com}}

| region = Levant

| associated_cuisine = Arab

| type = Rotisserie

| served = Hot

| main_ingredient = Meat (traditionally lamb or mutton, but also chicken, turkey, beef, or veal); pita, laffa, lavash, or any other suitable bread for a wrap; chopped or shredded vegetables; assorted condiments

| similar_dish = Doner kebab, İskender kebap, gyros, al pastor

}}

Shawarma ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|ə|ˈ|w|ɑːr|m|ə}}; {{langx|ar|شاورما}}) is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire,{{cite web |last1=Prichep |first1=Deena |last2=Estrin |first2=Daniel |date=2015-05-07 |title=Thank the Ottoman Empire for the taco al pastor |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-05-07/thank-ottoman-empire-taco-youre-eating |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508144455/https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-05-07/thank-ottoman-empire-taco-youre-eating |archive-date=2015-05-08 |access-date=19 March 2017 |website=PRI}}{{cite book|author=Philip Mattar|title=Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa: D-K|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yqgUAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Shawarma+is+a+popular+Levantine+Arab+specialty.%22|year=2004|publisher=Macmillan Reference USA|isbn=978-0-02-865771-4|pages=840|access-date=2015-11-14|archive-date=2023-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421034930/https://books.google.com/books?id=yqgUAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Shawarma+is+a+popular+Levantine+Arab+specialty.%22|url-status=live}} consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit. Traditionally made with lamb or mutton, it may also be made with chicken, turkey meat, beef, falafel or veal.{{cite book|editor-first=Ken|editor-last=Albala|title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NTo6c_PJWRgC&q=shawarma|pages=197, 225, 250, 260–261, 269|publisher=ABC-CLIO|date=2011|isbn=9780313376269|via=Google Books|access-date=2020-10-20|archive-date=2023-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421034933/https://books.google.com/books?id=NTo6c_PJWRgC&q=shawarma|url-status=live}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bIIeBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA259|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|last=Davidson|first=Alan|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=9780191040726|editor-last=Jaine|editor-first=Tom|series=Oxford Companions|location=Oxford|pages=259|oclc=1119636257|via=Google Books}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT1682|title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food|last=Marks|first=Gil|publisher=Wiley|year=2010|isbn=9780544186316|location=Hoboken, N.J.|oclc=849738985|via=Google Books|access-date=2018-08-10|archive-date=2023-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421034939/https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT1682|url-status=live}} The surface of the rotisserie meat is routinely shaved off once it cooks and is ready to be served.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yqgUAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Shawarma+is+a+popular+Levantine+Arab+specialty.%22|title=Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa: D-K|last=Mattar|first=Philip|publisher=Macmillan Library Reference|year=2004|isbn=9780028657714|edition=Hardcover|volume=2|pages=840|oclc=469317304|quote=Shawarma is a popular Levantine Arab specialty.|access-date=2015-11-14|archive-date=2023-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421034930/https://books.google.com/books?id=yqgUAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Shawarma+is+a+popular+Levantine+Arab+specialty.%22|url-status=live}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ier6CmQ-e-kC&q=Shawarma+arab&pg=PA115|title=Around the World of Food: Adventures in Culinary History|last=La Boone, III|first=John A.|publisher=iUniverse, Inc|year=2006|isbn=0595389686|edition=Paperback|page=115|oclc=70144831|quote=Shawarma - An Arab sandwich similar to the gyro.|access-date=2020-10-20|archive-date=2023-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421034935/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ier6CmQ-e-kC&q=Shawarma+arab&pg=PA115|url-status=live}} Shawarma is a popular street food throughout the Arab world, Levant, and the Greater Middle East.{{Cite book |last=الهواري |first=د عبد القادر |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8zxKEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA54 |title=أسلمة العالم |publisher=ببلومانيا للنشر والتوزيع |pages=54 |language=ar}}{{Cite book|title=Street Food Around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture|last1=Kraig|first1=Bruce|last2=Sen|first2=Colleen Taylor|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2013|isbn=978-1598849554|location=Santa Barbara, California|pages=xxv, 18–19, 127–129, 339|oclc=864676073}}{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/omanuaearabianpe00walk|url-access=registration|title=Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula|publisher=Lonely Planet|year=2007|isbn=978-1-74104-546-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/omanuaearabianpe00walk/page/381 381]–|author1=Jenny Walker|author2=Terry Carter|author3=Lara Dunston}}

Etymology

The name {{Transliteration|ar|shāwarmā}} in Arabic is a rendering of the term {{Transliteration|ota|çevirme}} in Ottoman Turkish ({{Lang|ota|چيويرمى|rtl=yes}} {{IPA|tr|tʃeviɾˈme|}}, {{Literal translation|turning; hence, roughly synonymous to döner in this context}}), referring to rotisserie.{{cite web|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/culture/shawarma-the-arabic-fast-food-1.503641|title=Shawarma: the Arabic fast food|last=Al Khan|first=Mohammed N.|date=31 July 2009|website=Gulf News|access-date=7 January 2018|archive-date=4 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304025404/http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/culture/shawarma-the-arabic-fast-food-1.503641|url-status=live}}

History

File:Restauranthouder bij zijn shoarma spit, Bestanddeelnr 255-6509.jpg, 1950]]

The shawarma technique—grilling a vertical stack of meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks—first appeared in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century in the form of döner kebab,{{cite news |author=Eberhard Seidel-Pielen |date=May 10, 1996 |title=Döner-Fieber sogar in Hoyerswerda |trans-title=Doner fever even in Hoyerswerda |url=http://www.zeit.de/1996/20/Doener-Fieber_sogar_in_Hoyerswerda |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225095338/https://www.zeit.de/1996/20/Doener-Fieber_sogar_in_Hoyerswerda |archive-date=December 25, 2021 |access-date=May 6, 2016 |newspaper=Die Zeit |language=de |quote=Neither in the written recipes of the medieval Arab cuisine nor in the Turkish cookbooks from the first half of the 19th century are there any indications. According to research carried out by Turkish master chef Rennan Yaman, who lives in Berlin, the doner kebab is an amazingly young creation of Ottoman cuisine. (Quote translated from the German)}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vr2qnK_QOuAC&pg=PA1147 |title=The Cambridge World History of Food, Volume 2 |date=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521402156 |editor1-last=Kiple |editor1-first=Kenneth F. |pages=1147 |quote=Bursa is the town that gave birth to the world-famous doner kebab, meat roasted on a vertical revolving spit. |access-date=2019-07-23 |editor2-last=Ornelas |editor2-first=Kriemhild Coneè |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421034934/https://books.google.com/books?id=Vr2qnK_QOuAC&pg=PA1147 |archive-date=2023-04-21 |url-status=live |via=Google Books}} which both the Greek gyros and the Levantine shawarma are derived from.{{Cite book |last=Kremezi |first=Aglaia |author-link=Aglaia Kremezi |title=Food and Language: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2009 |publisher=Prospect Books |year=2010 |isbn=9781903018798 |editor-last=Hosking |editor-first=Richard |volume=28 |location=Totnes |pages=203–204 |chapter=What's in the Name of a Dish? |oclc=624419365 |access-date=2019-07-23 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ilvBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT202 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115045842/https://books.google.com/books?id=3ilvBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT202 |archive-date=2023-01-15 |url-status=live}} Shawarma led to the development during the early 20th century of the contemporary Mexican dish tacos al pastor when it was brought there by Lebanese immigrants. The dish is also especially popular in Ottawa, Ontario, where a large community of the Lebanese diaspora exists.{{cite news |last=Deachman |first=Bruce |date=2017-09-02 |title=Shawarma: the staple of Ottawa cuisine |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/shawarma-the-staple-of-ottawa-cuisine |access-date=2024-02-25 |work=Ottawa Citizen}}

Preparations

Shawarma is prepared from thin cuts of seasoned and marinated lamb, mutton, veal, beef, chicken, or turkey. The slices are stacked on a skewer{{Cite web |title=Blogs - Revolutionizing Flavor: The Ultimate Guide to Shawarma Machines Chinese restaurant equipment manufacturer and wholesaler |url=https://www.twothousand.com/resource-center/revolutionizing-flavor-the-ultimate-guide-to-shawarma-machines/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=www.twothousand.com}} about {{cvt|60|cm|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} high. Pieces of fat may be added to the stack to provide extra juiciness and flavour. A motorized spit slowly turns the stack of meat in front of an electric or gas-fired heating element, continuously roasting the outer layer. Shavings are cut off the rotating stack for serving, customarily with a long, flat knife.

Spices may include cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric or paprika, and in some areas baharat.{{cite news |last=Guttman |first=Vered |date=2017-05-01 |title=How to Make Shawarma Like an Israeli |url=https://www.haaretz.com/food/.premium-how-to-make-shawarma-like-an-israeli-1.5467110 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112033724/https://www.haaretz.com/food/.premium-how-to-make-shawarma-like-an-israeli-1.5467110 |archive-date=2020-11-12 |access-date=2019-02-16 |work=Haaretz}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v5TTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA66|title=The Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj, Delicious Homestyle Arabian Cooking|last1=Salloum|first1=Habeeb|last2=Lim|first2=Suan L.|publisher=Tuttle Pub|year=2010|isbn=9781462905249|location=Tokyo|pages=66|oclc=782879761|access-date=2019-02-16|archive-date=2023-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421034936/https://books.google.com/books?id=v5TTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA66|url-status=live}} Shawarma is commonly served as a sandwich or wrap, in a flatbread such as pita, shrak (saj), laffa or lavash.{{cite book|last=Al-Masri|first=Mohammad|title=Colloquial Arabic (Levantine): The Complete Course for Beginners|publisher=Routledge}}{{cite web |title=A search for exceptional Syrian-style shawarma leads to the San Fernando Valley |url=https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2023-07-27/sincerely-syria-sherman-oaks-mamas-shawarma-northridge-review-bill-addison |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=20 April 2025 |date=27 July 2023}}{{cite web |title=Dining In: Laheeb Shawarma and Laheeb Grill lifting the bar for Middle Eastern fast food |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/life/dining-in-laheeb-shawarma-and-laheeb-grill-lifting-the-bar-for-middle-eastern-fast-food |website=Ottawa Citizen |access-date=20 April 2025 |language=en-CA}} In the Middle East, chicken shawarma is typically served with garlic sauce, fries, and pickles. The garlic sauce served with the sandwich depends on the meat. Toum or toumie sauce is made from garlic, vegetable oil, lemon, and egg white or starch, and is usually served with chicken shawarma. Tarator sauce is made from garlic, tahini sauce, lemon, and water, and is served with beef shawarma.

In Israel, most shawarma is made with dark-meat turkey, commonly served with tahina sauce instead of yogurt for kashrut reasons. It is often garnished with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, pickled vegetables, hummus, garlic mayo, tahini sauce, sumac, or amba mango sauce. Some restaurants offer additional toppings, including grilled peppers, eggplant, or French fries.{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/food/.premium-shawarma-the-iconic-israeli-street-food-is-slowly-making-a-comeback-in-tel-aviv-1.6824350|title=Shawarma, the Iconic Israeli Street Food, Is Slowly Making a Comeback in Tel Aviv|last=Laor|first=Eran|date=2019-01-10|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-02-16|archive-date=2022-03-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305064546/https://www.haaretz.com/food/.premium-shawarma-the-iconic-israeli-street-food-is-slowly-making-a-comeback-in-tel-aviv-1.6824350|url-status=live}}

In Armenia and Georgia, shawarma is traditionally made with thin cuts of marinated meat which is left marinating overnight in spices such as coriander, cumin, cardamom, paprika, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.{{Cite web |title=Tasty Yerevan {{!}} Eat the World Los Angeles |url=http://www.eattheworldla.com/2023/06/tasty-yerevan.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.eattheworldla.com}}