List of kebabs


This is a list of kebab dishes from around the world. Kebabs are various cooked meat dishes, with their origins in Middle Eastern cuisine and the Muslim world. Although kebabs are often cooked on a skewer, many types of kebab are not.

Afghanistan

Armenia

NameImageDescription
Lula kebabCan be served skewered or wrapped in lavash bread.
KhorovatsA traditional Armenian barbecue that can be made with lamb, pork, beef, chicken, fish, or even veal. It is often served with grilled vegetables and lavash. The dish is generally reserved for festive occasions.

Azerbaijan

NameImageDescription
Lülə kabab – served skewered or wrapped in lavash bread
Tikə kababSham kebab
Tava kebab

Bangladesh

  • Jali kabab
  • Shami kabab
  • Shish kabob

    China

NameImageDescription
ChuanrUyghur: Kewap, Chinese: 串儿 Chuanr or 羊肉串 Yangrouchuan — The most popular Xinjiang dish in China: chunks of mutton or mutton fat pierced on metal skewers, grilled on a coal-fired barbecue, and served with cumin and chili paste. Across Xinjiang, and neighbouring regions such as Kyrgyzstan, the mutton fat is valued equivalent to or more than the meat itself, as it provides energy during the harsh winter months. It has also become a popular street food all over north and west China, where a wide variety of foods are cooked in such a manner. Chuanr was traditionally made from lamb, which is still the most common, but now, chicken, pork, beef, and seafood are used. It is typically roasted over charcoal or electric heat, but it is sometimes cooked by deep frying in oil.
ShaokaoSimilar to Chuanr, it is predominantly found on busy Chinese streets and night markets as a street food sold in food stalls and is a type of xiaochi. In China and elsewhere, such as in the United States, diners sometimes also order beer as an accompaniment. Shaokao typically consists of heavily spiced, barbecued foods on skewers. It is available in almost all of the cities in China, and is a prominent dish in Beijing, China, where some restaurants set up food stalls outdoors to purvey the product.

Cyprus

NameImageDescription
SheftaliaA traditional Cypriot sausage made of ground pork or lamb and wrapped in caul fat that is served alone or in a pita, usually with tomato, cucumber, parsley, and lemon.
SouvlakiSkewers consisting of pork, chicken or lamb that is barbecued. Pictured is a souvlaki platter.

Ghana

NameImageDescription
KyinkyingaThe northern Ghanaian kebab, synonymous with suya in Nigeria, and prepared by the same Hausa ethnic group

Greece

NameImageDescription
GyrosIntroduced to Athens in the 1950s by immigrants from Turkey and the Middle East. Thin portions are shaved off and often served in a pita bread with onion. tomato, fried potatoes and Greek tzatziki sauce
SouvlakiSkewered pieces of pork meat.
KleftikoKleftiko: literally meaning "in the style of the Klephts", this is lamb slow-baked on the bone, first marinated in garlic and lemon juice, originally cooked in a pit oven. It is said that the Klephts, bandits of the countryside who did not have flocks of their own, would steal lambs or goats and cook the meat in a sealed pit to avoid the smoke being spotted
KontosouvliKontosouvli: big pieces of pork meat spinning around until they are done. Served chopped in wooden plate or on ladokola
Kempap GiaourtlouKempap Giaourtlou: traditional recipe from Asia Minor and Constantinople made from spicy ground lamb kofta kebab, yogurt sauce, tomato sauce.

India

NameImageDescription
Bihari kababSkewered pieces of meat marinated in spice. Originally a dish from the non-vegetarian cuisine, Muslims invented Bihari kabab of the North Indian state of Bihar as it is made out of beef. It has spread to other countries.
Boti kebabA mutton kebab. Boti kebab is pictured at the bottom of the image.
Achari Tikka
Chicken tikkaAnother tandoori kebab, made of cubed chicken marinated with yogurt and spices
Dora kabab
Galawat kababA variant of Shami kebab made without any admixture or binding agents and comprising just the minced beef and the spices. Speciality of Lucknow.
Hariyali kababPunjabi style chicken tikka or kabab made with combination of mint and coriander
Kakori kababMade of minced beef meat with spices, a specialty of Muslims of Lucknow & Delhi
Galauti kebabA smoked patty prepared using leg of lamb that includes onion, garlic, ginger, saffron and spices, which is cooked on a griddle
Hariyali kebabA vegetarian kebab prepared using lentils and spinach
Tangri kebabChicken legs roasted on open fire with hot spices and laced with butter or ghee
Kastoori kebab
Dahi ke kabab
Burra kebab
Kalmi kebabA chicken kebab. Kalmi kebab is pictured on the left in the image.
Paneer kababVegetarian kebab
Reshmi kababA traditional kebab of Mughlai cuisine that is prepared with marinated chicken, lamb or beef
Shami kebabMade of minced beef, with paste of lentils and chopped onion and coriander and green chillies usually added to the mixture, which is kneaded in a disc-like shape and fried. Best results are obtained when fried in animal fat or ghee in a brass utensil over a coal fire. In some places, a binding agent is used to keep the kebab together.
Shikampur kabab
Sutli KebabSutli kabab is made by wrapping a paste of meat & spices around a metal sheekh, tying it with a cotton thread & then heating it in a barbeque pit. Once the kabab is done, the thread is removed & the kabab is served.
Khiri KebabKebab made from marinated udder, known for its distinctively rubbery and chewy texture.

Iran

Not every dish containing the word "kebab" is listed below. For example, is not listed, because it is a meal consisting of cooked rice and one of the many kebab types listed below. Such is the case of , , . or .
NameImageDescription
Grilled chicken on skewers
Ground beef or lamb, often mixed with parsley and chopped onions. The mixture is formed into a flat stripped and grilled on extra-wide skewers.
Combination of jujeh kabab and kabab barg
Grilled marinated sirloin.
Grilled lamb prepared similar to shish kebab, without the vegetables
Grilled beef marinated in a mixture of pomegranate juice, crushed walnuts, parsley, crushed garlic, and olive oil
A meal that consists of a combination of jujeh kabab and kabab koobideh, prepared in different skewers but served together
A meal that consists of a combination of jujeh kabab and kabab barg, prepared in different skewers but served together
Grilled lamb liver, placed between slices of bread to preserve its juice. Some delicacy variations of the dish include grilled heart or kidney in the same manner. Because of potential health issues, it is often consumed with vegetables, fresh lemon's juice, onion, pepper, or other spice. The name is a variation of جگر.
Tomatoes grilled in varying degrees, depending on the taste of the eater. Almost never eaten alone, but are served alongside other kebab.
Kabab Gerashi
Ground lamb or beef, onions, garlic, and tomatoes
Minced lamb meatballs first fried and the grilled over charcoal fire, eaten with chopped parsley, chopped onions, and sumac. A summer outing favorite.
Includes almond, pistachio, and barberry
Consists of kabab barg on one end of skewer and kabab koobideh on the other
Kabab-e donbalanLamb testicles kabab
Very small amount of lamb tail fat, grilled alongside other kebabs to enhance their taste and richness. Never consumed alone.
Kebab golpayegan
Lamb or beef cooked on skewers with onions, tomatoes and green peppers