Variety of shawarma available in Abu Dhabi

Shawarma is a popular middle-eastern food, named one of the most beloved dishes around the world. Its popularity in Abu Dhabi needs no introduction, with a variety of shawarma in Abu Dhabi. The unique taste & texture of the dish stems largely from how the meat is prepared, usually meat or chicken, or even a mix of both. Thin slices of meat are cut and left to marinate for a couple of hours. The longer it is left to marinate, the more tender & flavorful it becomes. These layers of meat are then stacked on top of each other, often having a layer of fat in between them, on a vertical spinning grill. Once the meat is well cooked and starts to brown & become crispy on the sides, it’s ready to be sliced. A long carving knife is used to cut thin slices of cooked meat.

The meat is only but one aspect of the shawarma. One of the more defining features of a shawarma is the flatbread used to wrap the meat. The classic shawarma would be seen being wrapped in arabic bread, also known as a pita. It is a leavened double-layered flatbread. Another popular flatbread used in preparing shawarmas is Saj bread, which is a type of unleavened flatbread, also commonly referred to as tava bread in the Indian Subcontinent.

Another, softer variant of flatbread used in wrapping shawarmas, is Samoon bread. It is a type of yeast flatbread usually consumed in Iraq. Like other flatbreads, it is prepared in stone ovens, and follows a similar recipe to other flatbreads, but uses yeast and the addition of live culture, like yogurt. This makes it soft & tastes delicious.

A typical shawarma wrap will also contain pickled vegetables. Pickled carrots, beetroots, and cucumbers are some that are commonly served. It is responsible for the salty crunch you experience when you take a bite. A sauce, often a garlic yogurt sauce is used to hold all the meat & pickles nicely. More recently, french fries are also being served in shawarmas, especially here in the UAE. Another unconventional way of serving a shawarma is to have the dish served on a platter, for the customer to assemble or eat as they prefer.

The immense popularity of the dish has left shawarma being served at almost every other restaurant in Abu Dhabi. A side effect of this has resulted in tasteless gimmicks due to fierce competition, where restaurants began to cut corners on quality to bring the cost down, and appeal to more customers. The authentic taste of the classic arabic shawarma has become harder to find.

Shawarma Station is one of the few chains of restaurants that have refused to compromise on quality and continue to serve a variety of shawarma in Abu Dhabi. Not only do they serve the original classic arabic shawarma, but also variants taking in inspiration from popular cuisines like Turkish, Mexican & French cuisines, offering unique takes on this beloved dish.