Shawarma or shawerma is an Eastern dish that is very popular all over the world. Debates about where and when it originated are ongoing. Similarly, there are disputes about what it should be called.
According to one version, the word originated from the Arabic "shawurma," which literally means roasted meat. According to another, from the Turkish "çevirme," meaning wrapping, rotation. The principle of preparation is the same - meat is roasted on a vertical spit, thin strips are cut from it as it cooks, then vegetables, spices, and sauce are added, and it's all wrapped in thin lavash. Depending on the regions, the ingredients differ. For example, in St. Petersburg and Pskov, this street food is exclusively called shawerma. It even got to the point where a few years ago desperate heads demanded a legislative ban on calling it anything else. In the proper St. Petersburg shawerma, they put chicken, tomatoes, greens, and sauce.
In Nizhny Novgorod, there are 27 types of shawarma. Skewers of various meats are wrapped in lavash, to which they add onions, parsley, and dill, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, and sauce. And recently, even "Chicken Curry" shawarma appeared - with curry sauce. In Tula and Tyumen, the name "shavukha" has taken root. For example, the owner of one establishment prepares "shavukha Bulgarian-style," which includes chicken, cabbage, lavash, bell pepper, olives, onions, and pesto sauce.
But perhaps everyone was outdone in Belgorod, where they add cheddar cheese, oyster mushrooms, champignons, fresh herbs, and bananas to the shawarma called "cheese-bor"!
In Rostov, Kazan, and Yekaterinburg, they experiment with lavash - adding spinach, cheese, and squid ink. To not scare away customers with high prices, they offer mini-shawarmas twice the size of regular ones. In Yaroslavl and in the Kuban region, gyro (the Greek equivalent of shawarma) is popular. Instead of lavash, they use pita - a pocket-shaped flatbread into which they put chicken, cucumber, greens, and even french fries. Also, in the Krasnodar region, you can find a variety of shawarma called "tauk." Thin toasted lavash wraps around chicken fillet, fresh cabbage, and boiled potatoes, dressed with garlic sauce.
But perhaps the exclusively Russian invention that is ubiquitous is the dressing of shawarma with mayonnaise and ketchup. This sauce is aptly nicknamed "ketshonez" and "ketchupes" by the people.
