Best of Canberra - Kebabs

I agree, Kismet in Manuka have the meatiest kebabs – they are very generous in not just their meat servings but all the salads and add-ons as well. What surprised me was that they also do catering for functions AND deliver! That goes over and above just a takeaway joint. But honestly, the best surprise is their really really good coffee 😉

John Moulis said :

There seems to be a bit of confusion here. I had always thought that a kebab was a shortened term for what the Americans call shish kebab or shish kabob, or souvlaki in Greek. I’d always known the item in the pic as a wrap, or fajita in Mexican. From what I’ve been able to glean, the term kebab as used in the modern context came about because the meat is sliced from a large portion which resembles the meat pieces on a souvlaki. I’m preparing to be shot down in flames here …

Shawarma is the item in the pic.

Kismet Manuka next to public woow , very delicious food and fresh bread and dips , I love all food from kismet ,i go with my mates every week for have salmon ,cutlet and shish plates ,woow nice meals and yummy doner kebab with fresh home made garlic sauce with tabouli its my all time favourite , all meals are very good and worth it .yummy yummy kebabs ……..kimet kababs …… i love kismet kebabs .

Kismet in manuka does amazing kebabs with lots of meet and their home made garlic sauce is just divine. They also do the best lamb cutlets and grilled salmon steak in town. Strongly recommend it!
These guys are like the ottoman restaurants take away version and absolutely value for money.

My mate Omar is down from Lakemba this week. He says that where he comes from, they are called ‘kebabs’. Turns out the cheeky bugger is born and bred in Sydney 🙂

John Moulis said :

There seems to be a bit of confusion here. I had always thought that a kebab was a shortened term for what the Americans call shish kebab or shish kabob, or souvlaki in Greek. I’d always known the item in the pic as a wrap, or fajita in Mexican. From what I’ve been able to glean, the term kebab as used in the modern context came about because the meat is sliced from a large portion which resembles the meat pieces on a souvlaki. I’m preparing to be shot down in flames here …

I think the term as used in Australia comes from the Turkish ‘Doner kebab’ which refers to the cooking of meat on a rottiserie. In Jordan, where I am this week, it is called ‘shawarma’ and this appears to be the most common Middle Eastern term . In Greece it is known as ‘gyros’ and I also have a vague recollection of it being called a ‘turna’ somewhere. They are almost universally called ‘doner’ throughout Europe.

All of these terms relate to the cooking of the meat though, not the way it is presented. You can have shawarma/doner/gyros served on its own on a plate with salad and pickled vegetables, on a baguette style roll, in a pita pocket bread (most common for eating on-the-go), or wrapped in a flat bread, as is most common in Australia.

“Kebab” in the ACT (and, at least from my experience, NSW) context, is used for the pictured item taking it’s name from the Turkish “Doner Kebab”. Victorians, again from my experience, tend to use souvlaki and in SA gyros.

To make it truely Australian it should be called a Kebabbie or Kebbie.

There seems to be a bit of confusion here. I had always thought that a kebab was a shortened term for what the Americans call shish kebab or shish kabob, or souvlaki in Greek. I’d always known the item in the pic as a wrap, or fajita in Mexican. From what I’ve been able to glean, the term kebab as used in the modern context came about because the meat is sliced from a large portion which resembles the meat pieces on a souvlaki. I’m preparing to be shot down in flames here …

auburn. the first [i still remember] and still the best.

Charnwood Turkish Pide