Shawarma

History

The technique of shawarma—grilling a vertical stack of meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks—first appeared during the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century in the form of döner kebab, which both the Greek gyros and the Levantine shawarma are derived from. The innovation of this technique is credited by Encyclopedia Britannica to a 19th-century Turkish butcher named Iskender, whose shop in Bursa offered grilled meats that were layered on the vertical spit and slowly carved off into pieces.

Shawarma led to the development during the early 20th century of the contemporary Mexican dish tacos al pastor when it was brought there by Lebanese immigrants. The dish is also especially popular in Ottawa, Ontario, where a large community of the Lebanese diaspora exists. In 2024, Ottawa City Council declared Ottawa the "shawarma capital of Canada", following a motion introduced by Laura Dudas.

Preparation

Shawarma is prepared from thin cuts of seasoned and 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 flavour. 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.

Spices may include cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric or paprika, and in some areas, baharat. Shawarma is commonly served as a sandwich or wrap, in a flatbread such as pita, shrak (saj), laffa or lavash.

Some forgo the vertical spit in favor of a more traditional horizontal spit; this allows cooking over hot coals rather than electrical heaters, similar to cağ kebabı.

Regional varieties

Middle East

In the Middle East, chicken shawarma is typically served with garlic sauce, fries, and pickles. The garlic sauce served with the sandwich depends on the meat. Toum or toumie sauce is made from garlic, vegetable oil, lemon, and egg white or starch, and is usually served with chicken shawarma. Tarator sauce is made from garlic, tahini sauce, lemon, and water, and is served with beef shawarma.

Syrian-style shawarma is typically served with garlic sauce, while Egyptian-style shawarma commonly includes tahini sauce. Egyptian shawarma may also be served in eish fino, whereas Syrian shawarma is typically wrapped in Syrian pita. Syrian shawarma commonly uses chicken breast and thigh meat rather than lamb or beef, The two styles also differ in their spice blends. Both Syrian- and Egyptian-style shawarma are widely available in Egypt, where they often contrast due to the presence of Syrian refugees in Egypt.

Palestinian shawarma is typically served with sumac, onions, and tahini.

In Israel, most shawarma is made with dark-meat turkey, commonly served with tahina sauce instead of yogurt for kashrut reasons. It is often garnished with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, pickled vegetables, hummus, garlic mayo, tahini sauce, sumac, or amba mango sauce. Some restaurants offer additional toppings, including grilled peppers, auberjine or eggplant, or French fries.

Caucasus

In Armenia and Georgia, shawarma is traditionally made with thin cuts of marinated meat which is left marinating overnight in spices such as coriander, cumin, cardamom, paprika, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Africa

Nigerian Shawarma is a staple streetfood in Lagos. In Nigeria the vegetables are different as typically there are no tomatoes or onions in most Nigerian style shawarma but rather shredded cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots too. Nigerian shawarma uses spices like garlic, thyme, cumin, onion powder, black pepper, paprika as well as boullion cubes. Hot dog or sausage is also added to the shawarma. The sauce is a creamy blend of salad cream, mayo and ketchup with pepper powder. There are three main variants, chicken shawarma, beef shawarma and a combo version of both meat.

It is thought that shawarma was popularized in Nigeria in the 20th century by Lebanese immigrants to Nigeria.

Culture

Shawarma has been described as a "globalized" food due to its international ubiquity and many regional variations.

Shawarma's adaptation and popularity in Israeli cuisine has been a subject of political debate within the politics of food in the Arab–Israeli conflict.

World records

The Guinness World Record for "longest line of shawarma sandwiches" was set on June 7th 2026 in Ottawa, Canada. The line was 2,451 shawarmas long (375 meters), the previous record was 2,187 shawarmas long. 30 volunteers were involved in the assembly of the dish.