What Is Shawarma: How This Arab Dish Influenced the World
Everyone loves food, especially those easy to munch on and eat. If there is one non-American food, making it big in different countries worldwide, it is the famous shawarma. If you love eating this good dish, you might want to learn how it came about and how it reached various countries around the world.
How Shawarma Is Created
Shawarma is a well-loved middle Easter food made up of marinated meat, slow-roasted on a vertical spit for several hours. It can be any meat you prefer—lamb, beef, chicken, goat, turkey or a good combination of any of them.
After long hours of cooking, the meat is carved off and turned into thin wide strips. This meat is placed inside a flatbread and joined in by a variety of condiments and vegetables. Here are some of the most used ingredients for shawarma, which vary depending on the cook or the customer’s preference.
Common types of bread used:
Pita bread
Lavash bread
Taboon bread
Popular vegetables added:
Lettuce
Cucumber
Onion
Tomatoes
Pickles
Parsley
Common condiments added:
Garlic yogurt
Hummus
Tahini
Pickled mango sauce with chili (Amba sauce)
A mix of vinegar and spices (cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg)
You can eat shawarma in many ways. It can be a sandwich or in a wrap, or you can eat it on a plate alongside your other favorite food. Nowadays, you can find this delicious snack almost everywhere, invading the world with its colorful flavor. Make sure you investigate about the
Great Accompaniments for Shawarma
If you love eating shawarma, you will enjoy it more if you eat this food with it:
Fries
Salads
Falafel
How Shawarma Reached the Different Parts of the World
Western Europe
From the Middle East, shawarma reached the land of Western Europe thanks to the Turkish immigrants who introduced the doner kebabs to these countries: Greece, Germany, and The Netherlands.
It all started in the 1920s when these Turks and Armenians created small eateries that served the famous doner kebabs. The Greeks immediately fell in love with its taste. In the end, they created their versions of the food.
Mexico
Another set of Turkish, Iraqi, and Lebanese immigrants did a similar thing in Mexico at the beginning of the 20th century. The restaurants they opened were a hit among Mexicans. It was not surprising since shawarma is familiar in Mexican culture because Mexicans love eating tacos and burritos.
Like the Greeks, the Mexicans were inspired by this dish to create their version of the meal. They call it the “Tacos Al Pastor,” with corn tortillas as their main ingredient. It came from the “Tacos Arabes” which they call the shawarmas created by these immigrants.
New York and Chicago
The Greek immigrants brought their version of gyro, which uses lamb or beef as meat, to New York and Chicago in the 1970s. As expected, it made a good impression among Americans. This time, the snack was served in casual dining setups like food trucks, making it an easy to eat and easy to find snack for the Americans.
An immigrant named George Apostolou even thought of spreading the food’s reach further. He started a factory that produces large quantities of gyros, supplying them to restaurants nationwide.
Canada
The excellent dish also reached Canada. Like other locations, the dish also inspired the Canadians to create their own. They decided to combine Lebanese and Canadian food to create a unique mix. From then on, more shawarma shops have opened throughout Canada.
Conclusion
People love shawarma because of how meaty it is while still being a healthy food to eat. The way the meat is grilled indeed added to that undeniably great taste. Moreover, it contains various vegetables and sauces and can be eaten in multiple ways. That gives people its authentic taste and unique experience.
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