Dishes from Around the World

Shawarma (Dubai)

Shawarma is a dish that originated during the Ottoman Empire era. It consists of thinly sliced meat, stacked on top of each other on a stick and roasted while slowly rotating. It is a dish that traditionally doesn't use pork, but substitutes it with lamb, beef, chicken, etc. When serving it is sliced thinly off of the stick and into whatever it may be, a gyro, a sandwich, or just a rice bowl. You can also add fruit like pineapple or veggies like carrots. It is essentially just a thicker and bigger kebab but mostly meat. Going back to the types of meat, you can use pork if you are doing it, but it usually isn't used traditionally since they don't eat pork.

Customization 

Now as I explained in the first paragraph, it is usually served with beef, lamb, or chicken along with other items and can be used for many different dishes. My personal favorite is when it is shaved into a gyro and served with pickled onions and feta cheese; I love feta cheese so much that I always ask for extra. I have had ones where they used lamb and mango, chicken and pineapple, or beef with peppers. It can be made into so many different dishes and so many different ways, and in the next paragraph, I am going to explain what me and my dad did.

Story

So, when I first moved in with my dad, he had this idea to make Shawarma. He didn't want to do it like the traditional way, so he decided to use pork and pineapple. He used pork cutlets and bigger slices of pineapple and seasoned them with a rub. He then slow cooked them in our Kamado Joe cooker and slow cooked them for around 6-8 hours. After that he sliced them thinly and put them into tacos. Now if I didn't say they were the best tacos I have ever had, I would be lying. The fatty richness of the pork combined with the charred pineapple made the best tacos. We added some cilantro, red onions, and hot sauce and we absolutely fell in love with them. The leftovers did not last long, maybe only two days.