Homemade Shawarma Seasoning for Passover will bring the delicious taste of shawarma—a favorite Middle Eastern street food—to your table even on Passover!
With this amazing blend of spices, you can season any meat, chicken, or fish and add delicious Middle Eastern flavor to your food!
(Note: some kosher authorities consider some of the ingredients in this seasoning to be kitniyos (kitniyot)—especially the cumin—please check with your own kosher authority).
Shawarma spice can be found in stores that carry Israeli foods.
Shawarma Seasoning Mix for Passover mimics my favorite store-bought brand and can be mixed in a matter of minutes!
Sprinkle or rub in on any food for delicious Middle Eastern flavor!
Make ahead and use it for the entire week!
A little about Israeli cuisine
Some people complain about cultural appropriation in cuisine when food from one country is attributed to another country.
However, national cuisine in itself is often a mingling of food from a variety of cultures, often due to a change of ruling countries and a shifting of borders.
When people move from country to country, they will take their cultures with them, and their descendants may adapt their traditional cuisine with that of their new home.
When one lives in a melting pot, such as the US or Israel, it is just unrealistic to expect that food from a particular culture won’t mingle with that of other cultures.
“Israeli cuisine” is basically Middle Eastern (as opposed to Eastern European) food that was brought to Israel by Jews when they fled or were expelled from Muslim countries and moved to Israel mostly after the declaration of the State of Israel (collectively known as Mizrahi Jews).
Recipes were passed from generation to generation, and although decades have passed, the foods are still known by the culture they came from, and everyone seems to have their own way of making them.
That said, there are many variations of pretty much any “Israeli” recipe because of background, custom, or even just taste. When choosing a recipe, one has to know what actually constitutes a main ingredient—what makes the dish what it is—and what is left up to individual taste.
A Little About Shawarma
Shawarma is a Middle Eastern meat dish that is a popular street food.
Shawarma’s origin is from the Doner Kabab from Turkey, whose modern cuisine developed from the Ottomans of the Ottoman Empire who adopted combined different traditional dishes of the countries they ruled.
The Greek version of a shawarma is a Gyro, which will often include pork.
Both names (Doner and Gyro) indicated turning or spinning, and in fact the name shawarma comes from the Turkish form of the Arabic word for turn or spin.
Shawarma is made from different types of meat that can be used together to create it. These include lamb, turkey, chicken, and beef.
The different types of seasoned meat are sliced and skewered in tight layers on a vertical rotisserie or spit with layers of fat at the top. The skewer rotates vertically and slowly near a heat source, and the fat melts over the meat, giving the meat a wonderful flavor as it lightly roasts on the outside.
Shawarma is a popular street food in the Middle East. It seems that every country has their own traditional way of eating it.
In Israel, it will normally be served in a pita or in a laffa (an Iraqi flatbread that is part of Israeli cuisine) together with a variety of additions, such as tahini, hummus, babaganush (eggplant spread), pickles, Israeli salad (diced cucumbers and tomatoes), French fries, pickled cabbage, and more. Everyone just puts in what they like.
Tips for making Shawarma Seasoning Mix for Passover at home
- Note that some kosher authorities consider some of the ingredients in this seasoning to be kitniyos (kitniyot)—especially the cumin – please check with your own kosher authority.
- The dominant taste of shawarma seasoning is the cumin. Everyone has their own taste as far as the seasoning is concerned, so feel free to add more or less of whatever you like. Note that the strong Middle Eastern taste is the cumin.
- If you would like a spicier flavor, use hot paprika to taste and less sweet paprika in the same quantity.
Homemade Shawarma Seasoning for Passover
Easy shawarma seasoning mix to make your own homemade shawarma during Passover.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ground cumin (more, if you like a stronger taste) *
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro or 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional)
Instructions
Mix all spices together well in a bowl.
Notes
* Some kosher authorities consider some of the spices to be kitniyot and not appropriate for Ashkenazim. Please check with your own kosher authority.
MAKE SURE THE SPICES ARE CERTIFIED KOSHER FOR PASSOVER
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 45Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 541mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g