A Kebab (or Kebap) is a type of restaurant liberally sprinkled around
France, especially in areas with high
North African or
Turkish immigrant populations. It's a specific sort of sandwich shop, and some of them serve more typical French sandwiches.
There are a number of typical sandwiches you may find in a kebab:
- Kebab frites ou salade (kebab with fries or salad) - The kebab part is the easy-to-see large hunk of donair meat turning around on a spit behind the counter. The server will cut some meat off the large hunk, and then put it into a pocket bread, which will already contain some of the following: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, pickled peppers, purple cabbage, emmental râpé, etc. and one of a choice of sauces. The only sauces I've ever seen are ketchup, mayonnaise, blanche (a cucumber/yogurt sauce), and chili sauce. If you ordered fries, they will be stuffed inside the sandwich and then covered in sauce.
- Merguez frites ou salade Merguez with fries or salad - This is the same as above, except with merguez, a spicy red sausage, and it's served in a sub roll which is then grilled and squashed flat.
- Steack frites ou salade Steak - One or two hamburger patties served as above.
- Brochette frites ou salade Skewer - Some chunks of turkey grilled on a stick, then served as above.
- Américain - Same as a steak, but with cheese.
- Norvegien - Smoked salmon with salad.
Many kebabs serve mint tea, canned and bottled beverages, pastries, coffee,
falafel, and a
carafe of
eau naturel.
Some also have the features of beautiful North African women, forgetting to charge you for drinks, and cigarettes sold without a tabac license.