Shish Taouk

The name is built from two Turkish words: sis, a skewer, and tavuk, chicken. Breast or thigh is cut into cubes and left for hours in a marinade of yoghurt and lemon, or in some kitchens tomato paste, then threaded onto skewers and cooked quickly over charcoal. The yoghurt is there to soften the meat rather than to flavour it.

What toum is

The white sauce beside it is not mayonnaise. Toum is whipped from garlic, salt, a neutral oil and lemon and nothing else — no egg, no dairy, so it is vegan. Some shops still pound it in a mortar; most use a processor. A spoonful is too much for one plate, so take a little and spread it on the meat.

What goes with it

The Syrian and Lebanese plate is put together the same way: shish taouk, toum, hummus and tabbouleh. Grilled tomato and pepper, pickles and hot bread sit around it. Some places serve it over rice. The wrap is a different thing altogether — chicken, toum, lettuce and pickled turnip rolled in thin bread and eaten standing up.

Where to find it

In Damascus, at any restaurant with a grill and at most shawarma shops. For the wrap, choose a place that puts the skewer on the fire when you order rather than one holding cooked meat on the counter; the heat is half the dish. Prices differ sharply between a plate and a wrap.

How to order it

If garlic is not for you, asking for the toum on the side is enough — they will put it beside the plate rather than leave it out. If you avoid dairy, remember the marinade is usually yoghurt-based; a tomato-paste marinade exists but not everywhere, so ask.