Shish Taouk(Pronounced as Shish Tah-Vouk) Shish Taouk is a traditional Turkish skewered kebab which now has crossed borders to even feature in Syrian and Lebanese cuisines. Made of cubes of chicken,seasoned in common yogurt or tomato puree based marinades,the meat is skewered and grilled. Shish Taouk is typically eaten with a garlic paste called toum. Shish means skewer in Turkish (and has been adopted in Lebanese-Arabic and Syrian-Arabic dialects. Seekh is the word for it in classical Arabic); and taouk or tavuk means chicken in Turkish. Tawook can refer to other kinds of poultry such as the peacock (Tawouk/Taus in Arabic). The authentic Turkish preparation is served with rice and toum accompanied by vegetables. The sandwich version comes in a flat bread or pita wrap seasoned with garlic paste,along with lettuce,tomatoes,and pickled turnips. A popular snack in Lebanon and Syria today,Shish Taouk is eaten either as a sandwich or on a platter with vegetables. It is similar (although not identical) to the traditional Persian Jujeh Kabab. Shish Touk is a term used to refer to shawarma in Montreal,Quebec,rather than skewered chicken due to its strong resemblance to the Lebanese dish in looks and taste.
