History of kebab

“Kebab” or “Kabab” is originally a variety of Irani meat (Mainly Lamb) dishes. As time passed Kebab got a dignified space in the cuisinesof Middle East, Turkey, South Asia and presently Worldwide. In English Kebab generally refers to the “Shish Kebab” served on the skewer. In the Middle East, however, Kebab refers to meat that is cooked over or next to flames; large or small cuts of meat, or even ground meat; it may be served on plates, in sandwiches, or in bowls. The traditional meat for Kebab is lamb, but depending on local tastes and taboos, it may now be beef, goat, chicken, pork; fish and seafood; or even vegetarian foods like falafel or tofu. Like other ethnic foods brought by travelers, the Kebab has become part of everyday cuisine in many countries around the globe.

The origin of Kebab may lie in the short supply of cooking fuel in the Near East, which made the cooking of large foods difficult while urban economies made it easy to obtain small cuts of meat at a butcher's shop.According to Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveler, in India, Kebab was served in the royal houses during the Delhi Sultanate period(1206-1526 AD), and even commoners would enjoy it for breakfast with naan. The dish has been native to the Near East and ancient Greece since antiquity. Even it is heard that when Alexander met King Porus, he offered him some Indian delicacies similar to Kebab. But officially Kebabs came to India in Mughal era and then slowly the same was Indianized.

Did you know?

The phrase “Kebab” is Persian in origin and Arabic tradition has it that the dish was invented by medieval Persian soldiers who used their swords to grill meat over open-field fires. Later on Swords were replaced by skewers.

Below are brief details about some popular Kebabs:

Chelow Kebab

Chelow Kebab is the national dish of Iran. It is a sort of combo meal consisting saffron basmati, grilled tomatoes, poached eggs, Shish Kebab, Reshmi Kebab etc. Chelow Kebab is best accompanied by sour yogurt (Chaas).

Kakori Kebab

The name Kakori is originated from the name of the small town in Uttar Pradesh, India. Some says that Kakori Kebab was created by Nawab of Kakori; Syed Mohammad Haider Kazm who, after receiving complaints from a British officer about the hardness of the Kebabs, ordered his cooks to prepare a tender Kebab .They finally came out with this Kakori Kebab. Raan ki maachli is used to make this Kebab. Softness of Kakori Kebab helped to gain its popularity amongst toothless Nawabs.

Tunde ke Kebab

Tunde ke Kebab is made of minced meat which is popular in Lucknow. It is said that there was once a Nawab (royal family member) who loved Kebabs. In his old days without tooth it was difficult to eat Kebabs. He announced that the person who makes the softest Kebab would henceforth enjoy royal patronage. The secret recipe was created by Haji Murad Ali, who had only one hand (Tunda in Hindi). It is believed that this is the origin of the name, Tunde ke Kebab. The secret recipe apparently has 160 spices, including sandalwood. The recipe is a family secret and is passed down to the generations by the ladies of the house. His Family still runs a very famous Kebab Shop in Lucknow with multiple outlets.

Shish Kebab

In English the word “Kebab” generally refers to Shish Kebab. The dish consists of Meat threaded in Skewer and grilled along with some vegetables like Onion, Tomatoes, mushrooms etc. The same is available and popular everywhere in the World. It is considered as the oldest form of Kebabs.

Boti Kebab

Boti Kebab hails from Hyderabad. It was a very significant dish during the Nizam’s era. Tender pieces of boneless mutton dipped in spice egg wash, rolled in crumbs and deep fried.

Hara Bhara Kebab

Specially designed for veggie food lovers. It gets the green colour from the Spinach in it.

Fish Tikka Kebab

Fisheterians will love to have this. Generally Bekti is used to make this delicacy. Best served with French fries.

Shammi Kebab

Shammi Kebab means Syrian Kebab in Arabic. These Kebabs were introduced to South Asia during the Mughal era. Some of the cooks at Mughal durbar were from Syria as well. The Sham refers to either Syria specifically or the Levant in general, and these Kebabs literally means Syrian Kebabs or Levantine Kebabs in Arabic. The Shammi Kebab are also popular in Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.

Galouti Kebab

Galouti Kebab was created for an aging Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow who lost his teeth, but not his passion for meat dishes. ‘Galouti’ or ‘Galawati’ means “melt in your mouth”. Traditionally, green papaya is used to make it tender. After being mixed with a few select herbs and spices the very finely ground meat is shaped into patties and fried in pure ghee until they are browned. The original recipe is supposed to have more than 100 aromatic spices.

Did you know?

Alexander Dumas is best known for writing such novels as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, but he also traveled and wrote about food. His famous recipe of Lamb Kebab was adapted by Famous cook Steven Raichlen to add a traditional Georgian spice mix.

What complements Kebab best?

Kebab can be considered a self sufficient dish. But Parathas with pickles, Buttered rice, Bread rolls and French fries goes well with Kebab.