A Doner Kebab Is Named From the Turkish for Turning
A kebab is grilled meat, usually on a skewer. The doner variety takes its name from the vertical spit that rotates.
A kebab is grilled or roasted meat, usually cut into pieces and cooked on a skewer. The names describe the cooking: *döner kebab* means turning kebab, from Turkish *dönmek*, to turn, because the meat rotates on a vertical spit; *shish kebab* means skewer kebab, from *şiş*, a skewer. Greek *gyros* and Arabic *shawarma* both mean turning too, so three languages named the same dish the same way. The word reached English through Urdu and Persian in the 1600s.
- Grilled meat. *A lamb kebab.*
- Doner kebab — from a turning spit. *A doner kebab.*
- Shish kebab — on a skewer. *Shish kebab.*
- Gyros — the Greek equivalent. *A gyros.*
- Shawarma — the Arabic equivalent. *Chicken shawarma.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | kebab | One kebab. |
| Plural | kebabs | Two kebabs. |
| Variant | kabob | American spelling. |
| Turkish | döner | Turning. |
| Turkish | şiş | Skewer. |
- They ordered lamb kebabs.Food.
- Döner means turning in Turkish.Etymology.
- Gyros and shawarma mean the same thing.Parallel naming.
Three names, one idea
- Döner — Turkish, from *dönmek*, to turn
- Gyros — Greek, from a word meaning to turn
- Shawarma — Arabic, from a Turkish word for turning
- Al pastor — the Mexican descendant, brought by Lebanese migrants
- All four describe a vertical rotating spit
Urdu and Persian *kabab*, from Arabic, possibly from an Aramaic word meaning to char or burn. English recorded it in the 1600s.
What does doner mean?
Turning, in Turkish. It describes the vertical spit on which the meat rotates as it cooks.
Are gyros and shawarma the same as doner?
They are closely related dishes, and all three names mean turning in their own languages.