Shawarma-rama!

DURING a segment about the Middle East conflict on the US TV programme, The Daily Show, host John Stewart made a reference to shawarma and the audience broke into spontaneous applause.

Stewart asked somewhat quizzically: “are you applauding shawarma?”
They were. Throughout the world, from Little Arabia in Chicago and Edgware Road in London, to Barranquilla in northern Colombia, the humble shawarma has become a celebrated culinary masterpiece.
Variously known as Arabic tacos, doners, guss and gyros, the Middle Eastern meat and salad filled wrap has found a place in almost every country’s heart.
And Bahrain arguably has the best shawarmas in the world.
The ubiquitous shawarma is a Bahraini staple. From the infamous Shawarma Alley in Adliya, to chain restaurants like Shawarma Express and Alabraaj, to small independent roadside shawarma stands and local village take-aways, shawarma is Bahrain’s most popular fast food. 
And it’s not surprising; the average shawarma costs just 200 fils, takes seconds to prepare and is generally, very tasty.
Although shawarma is said to come from the Turkish word, Cevirme – meaning turning – shawarma’s origins are hotly contested.
Like the war over who invented filafel, many Middle-Eastern countries vie for the glory.
But throughout the world, the basic preparation methods remain the same.
Shawarma is made by placing strips of meat or marinated chicken on a skewer. Animal fat and an onion, or tomato, are placed at the top of the stack to provide flavouring.
The meat is then roasted slowly on all sides as the skewer rotates in front of a flame for several hours.
The cooked meat is then shaved off the skewer and made up into a sandwich with pita bread or rolled up in Arabic lafa together with vegetables, salad and a dressing.
Sometimes, a stray French fry may find its way into the mix.
Common dressings include tahini, amba sauce (pickled mango with chilbeh) and hamoos, flavoured with vinegar and spices such as cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Once the sandwich is made, it might be dipped in the fat dripping from the skewer and then briefly seared against the flame.
A delicious, fast and cheap snack – shawarmas, particularly those found in Bahrain’s small villages, are possibly the best bites on the island.

By -RdS-
editor@gulfweekly.com