A kebab is a dish of small pieces of meat, and sometimes vegetables, cooked on a skewer (a long, thin metal or wooden stick). The word comes from Middle Eastern cooking, where kebabs have been popular for centuries.

When you make kebabs, you thread chunks of chicken, beef, lamb, or vegetables onto skewers and cook them over a grill or open flame. The skewer makes it easy to turn the food so it cooks evenly on all sides. Picture a camping trip where you're roasting marshmallows on sticks: kebabs work the same way, except with savory foods instead of sweets.

Different cultures have their own kebab styles. In Turkey, shish kebab uses marinated meat grilled on metal skewers. Greek souvlaki is similar but uses different spices and marinades. Some Middle Eastern restaurants serve doner kebab, where seasoned meat slowly roasts on a vertical spit and gets shaved off in thin slices.

Skewers make kebabs practical and fun to eat. You can pick up the whole stick and bite the food right off it, or slide everything onto a plate. Kids often enjoy making kebabs because you get to choose which ingredients go on your skewer and in what order.