kebab

kebab, dish of Middle Eastern or Central Asian origin that typically combines small pieces of meat such as lamb or beef with vegetables on a skewer and is then grilled. Kebab derives from a Persian term for the dish that passed into both Arabic (as kabāb) and Turkish (as kebap). Kebabs are thought to have originated among transhumant peoples in Central Asia, whose meat-heavy diet was transformed somewhat in an urban context where vegetables were...