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There is some dispute as to the origins of kebabs. Some claim they originated in the Middle East and others in Turkey in the middle ages. Whatever the truth kebabs are now a world food with many variations both in content and method of cooking. Shish (or sis) and doner kebabs from Turkey, chelow kebabs, the national dish of Iran, kebab halla from Egypt and kalmi and kathi kebabs from India are just some examples of how the dish has spread around the world. Indeed similarities exist with the Japanese yakitori and the French brochette and, of course, satay from a number of far-eastern countries.

The word kebab, sometimes spelt as kebap, kebhav, kebob or other variants, usually means grilled pieces of meat slowly cooked on a rotating spit although it probably derives from the Arabic kabab which actually meant fried meat. Turkey will claim the origin was when Turkic soldiers cooked small pieces of meat on their swords over an open fire however Greeks will refer to Homer’s Odyssey for examples or even earlier to Aristotle and Aristophanes if pushed.

However there is not much dispute that the most well known version, the shish kebab, was invented in Turkey in the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkic swords have been replaced by wooden or metal skewers on which pieces of meat and various vegetables including aubergines, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms are threaded and the grilling medium is now not necessarily an open fire. The meat commonly used is lamb or beef although chicken, fish or goat also have their place. Pork is also occasionally used in some parts of the world.

The doner kebab means rotating kebab and is sliced meat roasted on a spit that is slowly rotated over an open fire. The meat is usually chicken, beef or lamb and is generally served in pita bread with a side dish of salad. While the doner kebab may have originally been a Turkish dish what we eat nowadays was probably developed by Turkish immigrants to Germany in the 1970s.
The Iranian chelow kebab is usually lamb or beef served with basmati rice and tomatoes.

Sometimes a raw egg yolk is placed on top of the rice. Kathi kebab is the Indian equivalent; made with chicken, lamb or beef and lots of spices, skewered and slowly cooked in a tandoor rather than over an open fire. The dish, with juices intact, will normally be served with rice and onions. The Portuguese espetata is a shish kebab of beef marinated in wine before cooking over an open fire. The kebab has found worldwide fame as a popular meal eaten late at night and it is not unusual to find kebab restaurants and vans open in the early hours of the morning in many cities around the world.