SHAWARMA

INTRODUCTION

Shawarma is a popular Levantine dish consisting of meat cut into thin slices, stacked in a cone-like shape, and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie or spit. Originally made with lamb or mutton, it is now also made of chicken, turkey, beef, or veal. Thin slices are shaved off the cooked surface as it continuously rotates. Shawarma is one of the world's most popular street foods, especially in Egypt, the countries of the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and the rest of the Middle East.

Shawarma dates back its origin to the 19th century. It first appeared in the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) in the form of doner kebab.

CONTENT/INGRIDITENTS

It consists of boneless marinated stacks of meat or chicken. Spices may include cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric and paprika. Mostly served in the form of wrap in flatbread such as pita. Chicken shawarma is mostly served with sauce known as “Toum” which is made out of garlic, vegetable oil, lemon and egg white or starch. It is often garnished with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, pickled vegetables, hummus, tahini sauce or amba mango sauce. Some restaurants may offer additional toppings like grilled peppers or French fries.

PREPARATION

Shawarma is prepared from thin cuts of seasoned marinated lamb, mutton, veal, beef, chicken, or turkey. The slices are stacked on a skewer about 60 cm (20 in) high. Pieces of fat may be added to the stack to provide extra juiciness and flavor. 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.

MY INTERACTION WITH SHAWARMA

Being a north Indian, I have not tasted the shawarma till I visited Mumbai for the first time. My very close friend Juned introduced me to the shawarma for the first time. When we reached Mumbai my first meal was shawarma, it was like love at first sight. it is a famous street food in Mumbai. I stayed in Mumbai for about a month and during daytime my lunch was mostly shawarma. When I switched job and came back to my place, I tried to look for shawarma but I was not able to easily find it. It was hardly available at two or three spots but not of that kind which I tasted in Mumbai.

SHORT REVIEW

Recently I have tried shawarma from “ Lazzeti ” in Kanpur, located in Naveen market. Taste was nice but price as compared to Mumbai was little high, it came with offer of “buy 2 get 1 free”. I have done its review on Instagram also which is mentioned below-

3.8/5 (looking for juicy, tender, seasoned chicken then this shawarma can be your best bet. Soft pita bread compliments the tender chicken, if toum or white sauce would be less sweet then shawarma would have tasted much better may be of rating close to 4.8😅😄)
Place- Lazzeti shawarma
Location- Naveen market Kanpur