Shawarma

Shawarma is one of the most well-known Lebanese dishes around the world. It refers to a Levantine dish made with heavily marinated meat – usually chicken, beef, lamb, or mutton – cooked on a vertical rotisserie. It is commonly sold as street food throughout the Middle East and beyond.

The Lebanese shawarma, like Greek gyros and Mexican tacos al pastor, is a descendant of the Turkish doner kebab. Thin slices of marinated meat are pierced and stacked onto a skewer to make it. As the stack grows taller, larger pieces of meat are layered to form a cone-like shape 60 cm (20 in) high. The cone is then slowly turned by a motorized spit to roast the outer layer against a vertical heating element.

Thin slices of meat are shaved off after cooking and served in a pita sandwich or wrap with tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, french fries, and tahini-based sauces. Shawarma was traditionally made with lamb, mutton, or chicken, but it can now also be made with beef or turkey.

Shawarma, like hummus and falafel, has become one of the world's most popular Lebanese foods. It's one of my favorite comfort foods, right up there with pizza and burgers.