27 November, 2020
Estimated Reading Time : 1 minute, 26 seconds
Shawarma is one of those dishes that leaves you with a pleasant sensation in your stomach and palate. They are not very difficult to prepare and in almost all major shopping malls in the world's capital cities, you will find at least one food establishment that sells them.

Shawarma or Döner arrived from the East to stay with us and compete alongside pizza and hamburgers, but how much do you know about it? Here are some facts about this favorite of many lovers of Arab food.

  1. There are two varieties of shawarma – That rolled-up meat and vegetables you ate on your last night out with friends is indeed a shawarma, but pita bread with an opening at the top and a generous filling inside is also considered one.
     
  2. Rotterdam has its own version of Döner – Each country and region in the world adds or removes an ingredient from the döner, but Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands, has the most delicious version you can find. Traditional shawarma is topped with melted cheese and served hot. In these lands, it’s called “kapsalon”.
     
  3. It has been in Germany for half a century – It is believed that shawarma arrived in Berlin in 1970 thanks to Turkish immigrants moving to the Kreuzberg district. Before then, it was completely unknown.
     
  4. It is produced in tons every day – Döner is not only popular in a few countries; its reach is international. According to statistics, more than twenty years ago, between 200 and 300 tons of döner were prepared worldwide daily.
     
  5. In Muslim countries, shawarma cannot be eaten with pork meat – Religious beliefs predominant in Muslim countries prohibit the consumption of pork, so it is mostly made with lamb. Actually, this is the traditional recipe, but in some parts of the world, like Greece, it is eaten with beef and pork.

Döner has been part of other countries’ cultures for many years and may continue for many more. Few dishes are as complete and delicious as this one.