Kebabs (also kabobs or kababs) are various cooked meat dishes, with their origins in Middle Eastern cuisine. Many variants are popular throughout Asia, and around the world.
In Indian English and in the languages of the Middle East, other parts of Asia, and the Muslim world, kebab is a broad term covering a wide variety of grilled meat dishes. Although kebabs are often cooked on a skewer, many types of kebab are not. Kebab dishes can consist of cut up or ground meat or seafood, sometimes with fruits and vegetables ; cooked on a skewer over a fire, or like a hamburger on a grill, baked in a pan in an oven, or as a stew ; and served with various accompaniments according to each recipe. The traditional meat for kebabs is most often mutton or lamb, but regional recipes may include beef, goat, chicken, fish, or more rarely due to religious prohibitions, pork.
In most majority English-speaking countries, two of the most prevalent and familiar kebab dishes are shish kebab and doner kebab. Either of these are often simply referred to as a "kebab" in English.
