What does shawarma mean?
Shawarma is a popular Middle Eastern dish consisting of seasoned meat—commonly chicken, lamb, or beef—cooked on a vertical rotating spit and shaved into thin slices. It may be served in flatbread with salad, pickles, and sauces, making a popular sandwich or wrap, or plated with rice and other accompaniments. The preparation is closely related to döner and other spit-roasted meat traditions, but “shawarma” usually carries specifically Middle Eastern associations. Outside the region, it is now a familiar international street food and casual meal. As a noun, it can refer either to the cooked meat itself or, especially in English-speaking countries, to the sandwich containing it. Shawarma is commonly pronounced with an initial sh sound, a stressed second syllable, and a final schwa, though speakers vary in whether the r is pronounced.
nounSeasoned slices of meat, usually chicken, lamb, or beef, cooked on a vertical rotating spit and served in flatbread or with other accompaniments. The term is also commonly used for a sandwich or wrap containing this meat.
- Seasoned meat cooked on a vertical rotating spit and usually shaved thin when served.
- A sandwich or wrap made with shawarma meat, vegetables, and sauce.
"She ordered a chicken shawarma with garlic sauce, pickles, and shredded lettuce."
"The café serves shawarma with rice, salad, and a tangy garlic sauce."
"He bought a shawarma from the food stall for lunch."
Shawarma is often treated as a mass noun when referring to the meat. The plural is used when counting separate orders, sandwiches, or servings.
"They ordered three chicken shawarmas for lunch."
Shawarma turns a vertical spit into a street-food journey around the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of shawarma
The English word was borrowed from Arabic shawarma, a term associated with meat roasted on a vertical spit. The Arabic word reflects influence from Turkish, where related terminology is used for roasting and rotisserie-cooked meat. The dish spread internationally through Middle Eastern restaurants and street-food businesses, and English speakers increasingly use the name for both the meat and the sandwich made with it.
Related word forms
How shawarma is actually used
The term is common in Middle Eastern food culture and is now widely used internationally. In British English, the pronunciation is often closer to /ʃəˈwɑːmə/, with the r silent; the r is more clearly pronounced in many American accents.
Easily confused with shawarma
A gyro is a Greek sandwich made with meat roasted on a vertical spit, whereas shawarma generally refers to the Middle Eastern preparation and is often seasoned differently.