Kebab is a traditional Arabic dish. Although the recipe for making a kebab yourself at home is very simple, every day in many cities, such as Warsaw, for example, queues line up in front of oriental bars to try this delicacy. However, nutritionists warn - the calories it provides can be counted in the thousands, and the nutritional value of the kebab leaves much to be desired. Check if the kebab is he althy and what is the difference between kebab and kebap. Try the recipe for a diet chicken kebab.

Kebabis a dish prepared from rotisserie meat, which is cut into small pieces after baking, with the addition of vegetables and sauces. The whole thing is wrapped in lavash or other thin cake or served in a thick roll. The name kebab covers over several dozen varieties of this dish. In Poland, the most popular is döner kebap (which means "rotating roasted meat"), a dish derived from Turkish cuisine. It is sliced ​​meat from a vertical rotisserie (most often mutton, veal or poultry, never pork) served with salad and sheep cheese. Even thoughrecipe ,how to make a kebabby yourself at home is very simple, everyday in many cities such as, e.g.Warsaw , there are lines in front of oriental bars to try this delicacy. No wonder - you can get a solid portion of meat for a relatively small price. However, nutritionists warn - thecaloriesit provides can be counted in the thousands, and itsnutritional valueof kebab leaves much to be desired.

Contents:

  1. Kebab a kebap
  2. Is kebab he althy?
  3. How many calories does a kebab have? Nutritional values ​​of kebabs
  4. How can eating kebabs affect your he alth?
  5. How to make a he althy kebab?
  6. Recipe for a diet chicken kebab
  7. What to look for when buying a kebab?

Kebab and kebap. Types of kebabs

In Poland (and not only), in some bars selling this oriental delicacy there is the word kebap, not kebab. How do you explain that? The word kebab is of Arabic origin. In turn, in Turkish the word is pronounced and written with a voiceless voice, i.e. as kebap (rarely as kebab). So the kebap is sold by Turks or people related to Turkey, and the kebab by Arabs and other nations, inthe name of this dish is written as a kebab (e.g. Armenians).

The most popular type of kebap is döner kebap, which is made with mutton or chicken. In Poland, however, it is difficult to access and expensive lamb is often replaced with pork. Meanwhile, real Turkish kebap is never made with pork. In addition, a sauce made of thick yogurt mixed with parsley is added. It is worth knowing that döner kebap was invented by Turkish immigrants in Germany to the taste of our western neighbors. There are other types of kebap in Turkey:

  • adana kebap - oblong chops made of spicy spiced meat on a skewer, grilled and served with vegetables and pita bread
  • iskender kebap - the closest to the original - thin slices of meat roasted on a vertical grate are served to drink with yoghurt, tomato sauce and grilled vegetables
  • patlican kebap - it's a meat shashlik with grilled eggplant
  • shish kebap - it's a grilled shashlik made of mutton or poultry meat, seasoned very spicy

Is kebab he althy?

In the opinion of many amateurs of oriental cuisine, kebab is a he althy meal because it contains dietary chicken meat, which is not fried, and quite a large portion of raw vegetables. However, this does not mean that the kebab is he althy. What's unhe althy about a kebab?

Turkish kebab is döner kebap. Turkish kebap is the source of such dishes as Greek gyros, Arabic shawarma and Mexican al pastor.

  • meat - the most common kebab is lamb meat, but in our country you can also choose from chicken (most often chosen in Poland) and beef. However, in most cases it is not pure single species. Usually, you can meet big rolls made of processed meat. It is most often ground pork with beef or poultry. In such "meat" fat of various origins and all kinds of flavor enhancers, preservatives and flavor enhancers prevail, such as E621 monosodium glutamate, soy protein, E450 phosphates or E331 sodium citrate. Such meat is in the form of a homogeneous mass, no pieces of meat are visible on the grate.
  • lavash or other thin cake or roll - most often it is made of not very he althy wheat flour, and also contains improvers
  • vegetables - not guaranteed to be fresh. They often lie for days, which means they lose their vitamins and minerals
  • sauces - most often they are based on mayonnaise, oils
  • fries - a caloric addition to the kebab. There is a risk that it is fried in the old,repeatedly used oil
  • drinks - usually caloric carbonated drinks are selected for kebabs

Therefore, kebab provides an average amount of protein and he althy nutrients, but a very large amount of fat from meat and sauce, as well as empty carbohydrates from a dough usually made of finely ground wheat flour.

According to an expertAgnieszka Ślusarska, dietitian

Is kebab he althy? How much calories does kebab have? Nutritional values ​​of kebabs

Hello, My question is about kebabs, such as you can get in many Polish bars and restaurants. Can this dish be described as "he althy"? Many people consider kebabs to be fast food, but is it really so?

Agnieszka Ślusarska, dietitian: It all depends on how it is prepared, i.e. what meat, what sauces were used, what pita bread etc. veal, vegetables (canned corn, cucumber, tomato, white cabbage, red cabbage, onion), mayonnaise sauce is a very caloric and unhe althy option. Suchkebabweighs about 450 g and provides878 kcal , including:

  • 37 g of protein
  • 43 g fat - mostly saturated fat)
  • 83 g carbohydrates (mostly from refined flour)
  • and only 5 g of dietary fiber

Kebab with mutton meat will contain even more fat and kcal, while with chicken and yoghurt sauce much less fat and kcal. Certainly, such a kebab is he althier than hamburgers or fries, where you will find huge amounts of s alt, trans fat and simple sugars. Importantly, in kebab - unlike other fast food - the meat is not fried in fat, but roasted, so it is he althier. If you forgo the white roll and order a kebab on a plate with salads and yoghurt sauce, you get quite a nice dish. However, everything, including eating kebabs, should be done in moderation. It is also important that the place where we buy kebabs is clean and does not arouse any anxiety. Unfortunately, sometimes in kebab booths the meat resembles a "kebab mass", which consists of minced meat of various origins. Please do not eat in such places.

How can eating kebabs affect your he alth?

Source: x-news.pl/Dzień Dobry TVN

How to make a he althy kebab?

Kebab can be he althy and much less caloric. However, to be one hundred percent sure that it will be like that, you have to prepare it yourself at home. However, it is not too time-consuming, it takes no more than 20-30minutes. Just choose the right ingredients:

  • meat - lean (chicken, turkey), preferably baked, boiled or grilled. You might as well use fish such as salmon. In the vegetarian version, you can use legumes and make chickpea falafel.
  • you can prepare your own bread (in the form of a tortilla or pita) from wholemeal flour. You can also buy them - in bakeries more and more often you can find whole grain tortillas kebab rolls
  • vegetables - you can add whatever vegetables you like to the homemade kebab. You don't have to worry about their caloric content, just make sure they are fresh. It is best to cut them just before putting them in the kebab. Usually, the kebabs go with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, various types of lettuce, cabbage and olives. But they can also be, for example, broccoli, radishes or zucchini
  • sauce - garlic-yoghurt sauce (50 kcal / 100g) will be low in calories, and a sauce made of e.g. tomatoes and peppers will have even less. For comparison, the mayonnaise and garlic sauce, which is usually added to forged kebabs, contains 320 kcal / 100 g in the same portion
  • drink - still mineral water is the he althiest. It is worth knowing that it is common to eat kebab with ayran. Ajran is a popular Turkish drink made from yogurt and water (in a 2: 1 or 1: 1 ratio). Usually s alt is added to it, and sometimes pepper as well. It is served chilled, it can also have foam

Homemade kebab in wholemeal bread (150 g) with a portion of vegetables, roasted chicken breast meat and tomato-pepper sauce has approx. 500 kcal.

Recipe for a diet chicken kebab

Source: x-news.pl/TVN Style

Worth knowing

What to look for when buying a kebab?

  • meat - it's best to choose poultry. It is cheaper than beef or lamb, so there is less risk of it being ground with other types of meat. Slices of meat should be visible on the grill, but if the meat looks uniform, it is most likely poor quality minced meat
  • bread - the least caloric choice will be a thin dough kebab, preferably whole grain.
  • vegetables and salads - should be fresh, refrigerated, not taken out of plastic buckets or bags for several days.
  • sauce - most of the sauces on offer contain mayonnaise. Better to opt for a sauce based on yogurt or vegetables
  • side dishes - instead of french fries, better choose a kebab on a plate with rice or noodles

The least caloric and the best option in terms of he alth is kebab wrapped intortilla with poultry meat and yoghurt sauce.

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