Kebab

Kebab (UK: kib-AB, US: kib-AHB), kebap, kabob (alternative North American spelling), kebob, or kabab (Kashmiri) is a variety of roasted meat dishes that originated in the Middle East.

Kebabs consist of cut-up meat, sometimes with vegetables and various other accompaniments according to the specific recipe. Although kebabs are typically cooked on a skewer over a fire, some kebab dishes are oven-baked in a pan, or prepared as a stew such as tas kebab. The traditional meat for kebabs is most often lamb meat, but regional recipes may include beef, goat, chicken, fish, or even pork (depending on whether or not there are specific religious prohibitions).

Etymology

The word kebab has ancient origins. It was popularized in the West by Turks to refer to a range of grilled and broiled meat, which may be cooked on skewers, including stews, meatballs, and many other forms.

The word kebab likely came to English in the late 17th century from Arabic: كَبَاب kabāb, partly via kabāb (कबाब / کباب) Hindi-Urdu and Persian, as well as kebap Turkish. The Turkish Language Association also states that it is from Arabic: كَبَاب kabāb, while according to linguist Sevan Nişanyan, the Turkish word kebap is also derived from the Persian word kabāb, meaning roasted meat. It appears in Turkish texts as early as the 14th century, in Kyssa-i Yusuf (lit. 'the story of Joseph'), though still in the Persian form. Nişanyan states that the word has the equivalent meaning of 'frying, burning' with kabābu in the old Akkadian language, and kbabā כבבא in Aramaic.