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Grilled Skewers · Charcoal Classic

Shashlik (Шашлык)

Shashlik (Шашлык) — street food from Uzbekistan
📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

Traditional Uzbek shashlik skewers are forged flat, not round, so the threaded meat can't spin loose while a vendor flips it over the coals.

Cubes of marinated lamb or beef — sometimes fatty minced meat pressed straight onto the skewer — are grilled over glowing charcoal until charred outside and juicy within, then handed over wrapped in flatbread with raw onion rings and a dusting of sumac.

Why it's made this way: The technique likely arrived via Caucasus and Russian trade routes, but Uzbek grill cooks made it distinct with a tangy vinegar-and-coriander marinade and thin-sliced onion — a house recipe every street vendor swears is the one true version.

Roughly what's in it

380kcal
30gprotein
4gcarbs
27gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
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More from Uzbekistan

🥒 Chalop Plov (Osh/Palov) Samsa (سمسا) Non (Uzbek Tandoor Bread)
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries. Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below. Photo credits.