In this an on going project I want to investigate
the history of Shish Kebabs, and the refinement that comes from
trial and error, new technology, feedback, new products
and the exchange of ideas that has mushroomed since
we have the world cooking with us in our kitchen with the stroke
of a search and click
Here are some basic questions to get started.
What does Shish Kebab mean?
Shish = Skewer
Kebab = seems like it is not totally clear, but has to do with
the process of roasting small pieces of meat.
Who came up with the idea of putting meat on a skewer and cooking over an open flame?
Food historians generally believe that this started in the middle east.
Turkey, Armenia, Greece, among other countries, where fuel to cook was scarce, so if they meat was cut into small cubes and threaded on a skewer
it could be roasted quickly over a few coals.
Some Sources
Why a Skewer instead of just frying it in a pan?
It is said perhaps that soldiers started the idea by putting meat on their swords and would cook it at camp over an open fire. It doesn't seem unbelievable. It sounds practical.
So did people jump up and down just because they were served
meat on a skewer?
So we have meat on a skewer, but that is nothing really special most likely. It was more likely the spices that made it really travel the through the world back then on horse or by ship.
Persia was a hub on the spice route and the Silk Road and the expert Persian cooks learned to use the spices for flavor but also balance. The spices also had medicinal properties. Turmeric, Saffron, dried lime give a distinctive profile. |
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A kebabforush (kebab seller) in late Qajar Iran |
When did this become popular in the United States?
Articles I found about Kebabs going back as far as I could find
I found this article in a New Zealand Paper 1890.
It talks about
a person running a Hostel, and and having a Lamb
Kebab as a choice of dinner fare.
Many folks from all countries migrated to New Zealand in the late 1800's
 26 Apr 1890, Sat The Aroha and Ohinemuri News and Upper Thames Advocate (Te Aroha, Matamata Piako District, Matamata-Piako, New Zealand) Newspapers.com
In 1901, when many immigrants were coming to New York, this Brooklyn newspaper, as did many around the country, ran a story about life in Constantinople. It mentions in the open air they will cook you a nice
juicy kebab over a charcoal brazier.
It is articles like this that would eventually bring this dish to being cooked by non Turkish, or other countries in the Middle East that cooked skewered dishes
 21 Jan 1901, Mon The Brooklyn Citizen (Brooklyn, New York) Newspapers.com
This is an interesting recipe for Kebab that seems like the author
didn't know what a Kebab was, as this is a recipe for braised meat
and served on toast circles.
However the word Kebab means cubed pieces of meat,
that
can be sauted or skewered.
 08 Sep 1920, Wed The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) Newspapers.com
By at least 1910 there was a Turkish kitchen in New York, that served
Shish Kebab
 01 May 1910, Sun Evansville Courier and Press (Evansville, Indiana) Newspapers.com
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