Probably no other street food is more iconically Middle Eastern than the shawarma. I would be surprised if you haven’t tried one of these juicy sandwich wraps sometime in your lifetime, either here in Egypt or from a food truck in the USA. “Ah, the taste of Egypt!” you may have thought, as you took your first delicious bite. Well friends, feel free to keep thinking that, but today we’ll dive a little deeper into the details of this delectable, Turkish delight.
Shawarma may have originated from Turkey, but you certainly don’t have to go far to find a shawarma place in Cairo. Step out your door and you’ll see a rotating spit of seasoned cuts of chicken, beef, lamb, or turkey in nearly every commercial district of the city. Head on over and step inside. I know it’s warm in there, but I want you to get a little closer. Watch the man with the long knife shave off the meat for your shawarma from the spit. Keep watching and you’ll see him mix in some chopped onions, bell peppers and – surprise! – pickles. Next, depending on the type of meat, he pours on a sauce. My favorite is the tomiyya sauce, since it pairs nicely with my favorite type of shawarma – chicken. He then deftly rolls up the mixture in a thin sheet of flatbread, swipes the wrap across the spit to cover it in grease, and puts your shawarma on the grill.
Tomiyya sauce – you may just want to eat this with a spoon
At this point, you may be practically dying with hunger and anticipation. Don’t worry – you won’t be waiting long. Within a few short minutes you are holding a hot and crispy meat wrap bursting with flavor. Can you smell it? Heaven. Go ahead – dive in.
Now, by this point you will have realized that I can get a bit emotional about food. One bite or whiff of something can bring back all the memories. Shawarma is no exception. Just thinking about it right now is reminding me of the summer of 2006 in Jordan. My fiance (now husband) was attending the University of Amman and I met him each day for lunch on campus. Our go-to? Shawarma, naturally. Now maybe it was because I was newly in love, or maybe because Shawarma originated from the Ottoman-controlled Levant region, but Jordanian shawarma rates high on my list of “best shawarma in the Middle East.”
Young and in love in Jordan
That said, there are some truly excellent shawarma joints in Cairo. Try Abou Haidar in Heliopolis or head downtown to Kazaz. Make it yourself with this recipe. I spent a year once perfecting my own personal (secret) recipe. Who knows – maybe your recipe will end up on someone’s list of “best shawarma in the Middle East.” Bil hana wa shifa!
