Kebabs have been a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine for millennia. There is evidence of the food being prepared in Turkey almost three thousand years ago, in 900 B.C. The word “kebab” comes from the Arabic word “kabab”, meaning “burned”, a perfect descriptor for the early food: burned meat, usually beef, but occasionally lamb or goat as well (“Kebabs: A Journey”). According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The use of charcoal is an economical adaptation to the wide shortage of fuelwood in the Middle East, and only rarely are kebabs cooked directly on wood there." ("Kebabs"). The kebab slowly spread across Asia westward to Europe and east towards India and China. The Ottomans brought the dish to Greece, where it was prepared with olive oil and lemon juice (“Kebabs: A Journey”). The dish came to the Indian subcontinent around the same time, where it evolved into a spicy ground meat eaten with herbs and onions (“Kebabs: A Journey”). Other variants have popped up across the globe over the last couple of centuries, even in Canada with the “Halifax donair”, a treat coated in a sauce of sugar and condensed milk (“Kebabs”). 

The biggest challenge my allergies create is dealing with spices and cross-contamination. Even something as seemingly safe as a kebab can become dangerous depending on how it’s prepared. For instance, the Pita Kabob Grill on William Street in Ann Arbor uses specific seasonings that make their food off-limits for me. While the kebabs themselves might be fine, the way they’re seasoned prevents me from enjoying them (even though they look absolutely delicious). The same applies for the kebabs the university sometimes serves, in which I also cannot indulge. This also explains why I haven’t had any of my siti’s cooking—it’s incredibly hard to keep allergens out of meals, even in a home kitchen. Regardless, my siti was determined to find something she could make for me. She was born in Lebanon and enjoys cooking for her family as a way of showing her love. This summer, we finally discovered what I could try: her kebabs. I gave them a taste and was instantly hooked. I could have eaten them like candy. On my most recent visit to her home, my siti even let me work the grill, and although I guarantee I did not do as good of a job as she does, I believe I held my own. It was one of the best times I’ve had with my family, and it was because of her. I even tried to make the dish myself at home, but it did not come close to tasting as good as Siti’s