Food Dictionary: Shish-Kebabs

Yesterday, I posted my recipe forChicken Kabobs with Spicy Peanut Sauce. This, of course, got me to thinking about the work 'kabob.' As it turns out, I've been spelling it wrong. Yep, Kabobs is really spelled "Kebabs." But such is the nature of language. It's always evolving. Webster would be proud, I think.

I really enjoy making kebabs. Aside from a little bit of time-consuming preparation, they are really easy to make. Not only easy, but they are extremely customizable. Just about anything can be put on a skewer and cooked over a grill. Sometimes, the best kebobs are just beef and onions with a little bit of salt and pepper. Nothing fancy. You can do veggies, beef, pork, shrimp, chicken, fish, shellfish. They cook fast on the grill and as we know, food on a stick just tastes better. The mighty corn dog has taught us that.

From Epicurious.com:
shish kebab -- [SHIHSH kuh-bob]
Chunks of marinated meat (sometimes fish) and vegetables that are threaded on a skewer and grilled or broiled. Also called shashlik .

Cooking meat on skewers is nothing new, and it definitely isn't American. Shish Kebabs come from Turkey and all over the Persian area. In fact, in Persian it literally means "skewers of grilled meat." How clever. If you eat Indonesian food -- perhaps in Amsterdam -- you might get a form of a kebab called Satay. It's just meat on a skewer cooked over heat. Noticing a theme?

If you are eating Kebabs, you probably are practicing one of the best features of them: portion control. The small amounts of meat and vegetabls on each one, really help you control your portions, sometimes without you even know it

Check out my Kabob-umentary for some more information about cooking Kebabs. My chipotle pork kebabs are delicious.

Source: Wikipedia.com