What does kebab mean?
A kebab is seasoned meat, vegetables, or a combination of both, cooked on a skewer. The word can refer to the finished dish, an individual skewer, or the cooked pieces collectively. Kebab cookery is especially associated with the eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia, although styles and names vary considerably by region. In Britain and the United States, the word is common for food sold by fast-food restaurants and street-food vendors, particularly when combined with a meat such as chicken, lamb, beef, or pork. The verb, meaning to prepare food in this manner, is much less common. Kebab is useful to English speakers because it identifies both a broad cooking format and a familiar category of internationally popular food without requiring the name of a particular regional style.
Seasoned pieces of meat, vegetables, or both, usually marinated and cooked on a skewer.
"The smoky aroma of the kebab filled the courtyard."
The noun may refer to the complete dish, one skewer, or the pieces collectively.
To cut or prepare food so that it can be cooked on a skewer.
"They kebabbed the onions and peppers before the barbecue."
This use is relatively uncommon outside cooking and food-preparation contexts.
Used when referring to multiple skewers, servings, or distinct pieces of food.
"The stall sold lamb kebabs, chicken kebabs, and mixed vegetable kebabs."
Traveling from the eastern Mediterranean into a global street-food favorite, kebab became a single word for an enormous variety of seasoned, fire-cooked specialties.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does kebab come from?
The English word was borrowed from Turkish kebap, which in turn comes from Arabic kabāb, a term associated with pieces of meat cooked on a skewer. The underlying Arabic verb kabāba has long been connected with roasting or grilling. The word spread through Turkish, Persian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern culinary traditions before entering English, where it became the general name for seasoned food cooked on skewers.
Related word forms
How kebab is actually used
As a noun, the term may denote an entire dish, the food on one skewer, or the cooked pieces collectively. The verb is much less common than the noun and normally describes preparing or cutting food for skewer cooking.