Shawarma - Regional Variations

Regional Variations

In Arab countries such as Syria and Lebanon, shawarma (شاورما) is a popular street food served with many different garnishes and toppings. Most of the Arab countries produce shawarma the same way, using a large rotating meat cone, the meat is shaved off the cone. The meat could be either lamb or chicken. The shaved meat is then placed inside pita bread or (markook) bread. The garnishes are usually either tahini sauce or yogurt sauce. Following this, there are choices of tomato, cucumber, pickles, hummus, shredded lettuce or onion. The sandwich can also be ordered as a meal. This would include sides of french fries and Arabic pickles.

In Israel, shawarma (Hebrew: שווארמה‎) is a street food and offered in meat restaurants. Introduced by Mizrachi Jews and Arab citizens of Israel, the dish has become ubiquitous. It was most commonly made of lamb. In the 1990s, turkey or chicken became popular. After 2000, lamb/veal mix began to appear, though turkey shawarma remains the most common. Often the rotating skewer is placed at the front of the restaurant. Shawarma is served in a pita or a lafa and is usually eaten with Israeli salad, made from finely diced tomato and cucumber, hummus and french fries. Popular toppings are amba and techina.

In Tunisia, shawarma is a very popular imported dish. There are different fast foods which propose to serve the Tunisian maqloub which is a local version of the shawarma. In that one, the Tunisians add the different spices and sauces. The only difference is in the spices and techniques used, which are jealously held secret by every chef. The meat (chicken, lamb, turkey or beef) is served inside the typical Tunisian bread (called "tabuna") or inside the more middle-eastern pita-like bread, together with a wide variety of flavors and some vegetables: garlic sauce, chick-pea sauce, local meshuya (a salad made out of grilled capsicum, tomatoes and garlic), cheese, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and fried chips. Each customer chooses his own flavors when ordering his shawarma. The shawarma or maqloub is garnished with the Tunisian pepper puree called harissa or mayonnaise.

In West Africa, shawarma was introduced by Middle Eastern migrants (spelled chawarma in Francophone countries) and is a popular street food. In Nigeria, shawarma is usually served in Lebanese restaurants, and they are a popular delicacy among Arabs, Nigerians and Indians. If prepared by Nigerians, they consist mainly of beef, or chicken, cabbage, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and chili, differentiating them from those of the Arab-based recipes.

In Mexico, shawarma was introduced by Middle-Eastern immigrants from Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Iraq, in the early 1920s.It is known as taco árabe, "Arabian taco" and sold at taquerías orientales, "Eastern taco stands". It is now served in pan árabe, "Arabian bread"–, leavened bread –locally called torta árabe, "Arabian baguette", also called cemita–, or in flour tortillas. It is usually accompanied by tahini and labneh –locally called jocoque– even though the skhug (or kharif) has been replaced with a thick chipotle-garlic sauce. In Mexico City, the pita has been replaced with corn tortillas, in what is now called a taco al pastor 'shepherds' taco'. Unlike a taco árabe, the taco al pastor is served with pineapple, cilantro, chopped onions and green or red salsa, and marinated with annatto sauce. Middle Eastern shawarma is available in the many Middle Eastern restaurants and kosher taquerias that cater to the large Mexican Lebanese and Sephardic communities.

In Pakistan, shawarma is available at road-side stands; it was introduced by Pakistanis who worked in the Persian Gulf states. In Palestine, shawarma is part of the indigenous street fast-food culture, like other Levantine countries, it's usually served in either pita or Sajj bread and often toasted. An inexpensive meal, it is served in khubz (bread), with toppings that include pickled turnip, cucumber, onion tomato, and tahina. The meat is lamb, grilled on a vertical spit and shaved before serving.

Shawurger is the name of a shawarma burger that is very popular in Bangalore, introduced by an international shawarma franchise food chain named Wrapz Shawarma Station.

In South Africa, Anat and Mivami chains of shawarma restaurants are common. There shawarma is usually made with combination of beef, chicken or turkey in a soft pita. Most shawarmas come with hummus, tahina sauce, tzatziki (cucumber sauce), chili flavoring, vegetables or barbecue. In the United Kingdom, shawarma is made with slices of skewered meat served in a pita with salad or pickles and tahini. The original shawarma take-aways first appeared in Piccadilly Circus in the early 1970s, catering mainly to tourists and Arab expatriates, but quickly spread. However, the doner kebab is more widespread in the UK.