Shawarma is an oriental cuisine dish that has become popular not only in the countries of the East, but also in the West. The method of preparation and the filling may vary. It can satisfy the taste of even the most sophisticated meat lovers. This dish is considered useful, since it contains only natural products. In different countries, this dish is called differently. Further, you can get acquainted with the history of the origin of shawarma, as well as the features of the preparation of this dish.
How it all started
It is believed that this dish was first prepared in Damascus several centuries ago. Thus, Syria became the country of origin of shawarma. At first it was just meat wrapped in a tortilla. Then the meat was marinated, fried slices and served with salad and sauce. In Europe, shawarma was learned from migrants from Turkey. The origin of the โshawarmaโ dish here is connected with the Turkish culinary specialist Kadir Nurman. In Germany, he opened a kiosk at the railway station for those wishing to have a quick bite on the go, where he first prepared it. It consisted of puff meat, which was fried on a spit, and salad. It served like a sandwich.
The eastern origin of shawarma did not stop her from becoming a favorite dish of Europeans. In large cities, in places of mass presence of people, kiosks with shawarma appeared. This dish has become so popular that the so-called kebab cafes appeared not only in Germany, but throughout Europe. Currently, shawarma can be eaten both in small cafes and in elite restaurants.
Shawarma in Russia
The birthplace of shawarma in Russia is considered to be the Caucasus. Subsequently, this dish became widespread throughout the country. There are many recipes for its preparation. First of all, the rules for laying out the ingredients vary.
The difference in the size and composition of the ingredients are shawarma prepared in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Moscow shawarma
The meat for it must be previously fried on a spit. After that, it is cut into small pieces and put in a pan to languish. Cooked chicken or pork meat is mixed with slices of cucumbers, tomatoes or cabbage. Sometimes cabbage is mixed with Korean-style carrots. In summer, lettuce is used instead of cabbage. In winter, fresh cucumbers are mixed with pickled ones. Moscow shawarma sauce - mayonnaise or ketchup. All this mixture is wrapped in pita bread.
Shawarma in St. Petersburg
The version of this dish uses exclusively chicken meat. It is cut into cubes and fried on a horizontal grill. All vegetable ingredients remain unchanged. However, the sauce is different. More often it is made from sour cream, in which garlic and various spices are added. Although other options are allowed. Another significant difference is that this mixture is wrapped in pita, which is pre-heated on the grill.
Since such shawarma is not very convenient to eat with your hands, sometimes a mixture of chicken and vegetables is served on a plate. In this case, all the ingredients can be laid out separately. Often this dish is complemented by other products: for example, slices of lemon or fried potatoes. However, these additives make it unlike traditional shawarma.
Features of cooking shawarma in the East
Since the origin of shawarma is eastern, here it is prepared from the meat of a young lamb or turkey. It is necessarily steeped in Arabic spices. The meat is prepared using a special technology: sliced โโthin slices are pressed together and fried on a spit. As ready, it is cut off along the edge and mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The mixture is wrapped in pita. Only meat filling is possible, while vegetables are served separately as an addition.
In Palestine and Israel, shvarma, as it is called, is considered a very popular fast food.
Shawarma sauce
As this dish has become very popular, it is prepared both in fast food stalls and in restaurants. In stalls, mayonnaise and ketchup are often used as sauce. The restaurants prepare sauces according to a special recipe. Most often it is garlic, kefir or red tomato. There are so many options for making sauces. Almost every cook has his own recipe.
Features of cooking meat
Some restaurants adhere to the traditions in the preparation of meat filling, which brings the eastern origin of shawarma. For this dish, meat is used, soaked in the marinade for at least 24 hours. Marinade is made with vinegar, kefir, with lemon juice and obligatory spices.
The meat in this dish can be used in a variety of ways: turkey, chicken, lamb, beef, pork, camel and even fish. Currently, it is prepared in a standard way: meat slices are strung on a vertical skewer, located near the heating elements. As you cook, the edges of the meat are cut off and then chopped.
Vegetable filling
Cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage are traditional. Depending on the region of origin of the shawarma, there may be more options for cooking salads. Sometimes mushrooms, Korean carrots, pickled vegetables and lettuce are used for vegetable filling.
Pita bread or tortilla?
Depending on the region of preparation, the use of pita bread for wrapping a mixture of meat and vegetables varies. It is considered traditional, but pita is also widely used. In addition, it became popular in southern Europe to wrap meat and vegetables in focaccia - a thin tortilla made without yeast, used by Italians for pizza.