Kebabs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. A dish consisting of pieces of meat, vegetables, or other ingredients skewered and grilled or roasted on a skewer | Various forms of food prepared by threading and cooking meat, seafood, or vegetables on sticks, often served with sauces | A culinary creation where marinated ingredients are placed on skewers and cooked over flames, commonly enjoyed in many cultures
  2. A food item made by grilling or roasting marinated meat, seafood, or vegetables threaded onto skewers, often accompanied by various sauces or sides
  3. A dish that features assorted ingredients, such as meats and vegetables, skewered and cooked over heat, typically found in diverse culinary traditions

Etymology: The word "kebab" entered English from Turkish, where it originally referred to grilled or roasted meat dishes. Its earliest known use in English dates back to the early 17th century, when travelers and merchants brought back descriptions of Middle Eastern cuisine. The Turkish "kebap" in turn derives from the Arabic "kabāb," which broadly means "to roast" or "to burn," capturing the essence of cooking meat over an open flame. This culinary term traveled widely across languages and regions, adapting to local tastes and cooking methods. In Persian, "kabāb" became a staple word for various types of skewered or grilled meats, and this usage influenced neighboring cultures. The spread of the Ottoman Empire helped popularize the dish and the word throughout Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean, embedding it in many languages. Interestingly, while the original sense of the term focused on roasted meat, modern usage has expanded to include a variety of preparations, including those cooked on skewers, in wraps, or even in sandwich form. The plural form "kebabs" simply follows English conventions for pluralizing borrowed nouns, highlighting how the word has been fully integrated into English culinary vocabulary. The journey of this word illustrates how a simple cooking technique gave rise to a term that crossed linguistic and cultural boundaries, evolving into a globally recognized food concept. Its origins in Arabic and Turkish reflect centuries of culinary tradition, while its adoption into English speaks to the appetite for exotic flavors and international dishes.

Synonyms: skewers, meat skewers, shish kebabs, grilled meat, barbecued meat