In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “middle eastern dish of fine ribbons of spicy lamb meat”. Today it says “middle eastern dish that originated in the levant during the ottoman empire”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “middle eastern dish of fine ribbons of spicy lamb meat”. Today it says “middle eastern dish that originated in the levant during the ottoman empire”.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Shawarma (also spelled shwarma , schwarma or shoarma ) is a Middle Eastern dish of fine ribbons of spicy lamb meat, similar to Greek gyros , Turkish döner kebab and Mexican taco al pastor . It is flavored with vinegar and spices such as cardamom , cinnamon , and nutmeg . It is served in pita bread and covered in a sauce such as tahini (or tahina), garlic mayonnaise (commonly found in Europe), or a chili sauce. Vegetables commonly found in shwarma include onion, tomato, and cabbage. It is sometimes available made from chicken or beef instead of lamb. Turkey is also occasionally used, depending on the establishment. Some stores use hot dog buns but most have pita bread, some have both allowing a choice. It is very often served with a plate of French Fries, or sometimes the fries are put inside the pita instead. It is common for restaurants that serve shwarma to have a slab of meat rotating on a skewer with animal fat and onion or tomato at the top for flavoring. It is then roasted from all sides (see vertical rotisserie ) and cut right before serving. In Bulgaria , shawarma is a Goulash -like dish. In Russia Shawarma (Шаурма or Шаверма) became the most popular street food. Closest analogy to russian-style Shawerma would be Döner kebab made of Beef, Pork or Chicken.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16300618.
The opening as it stood in 2010 13 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Shawarma rotisserie, Istanbul, Turkey Shawarma ( ), is a Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or a mixture thereof.The meat is placed on a spit, and may be grilled for as long as a day.Shawarma is a fast-food staple across the Middle East, Europe, the Caucasus, and North Africa.Shawarma is eaten with pita bread , Lavash bread, tabouli salad, fattoush salad, taboon bread , tomato and cucumber.Toppings include tahini , hummus , pickled turnips and amba .Shawarma is shared by many country variations.In Greece, it is called gyros .In Armenian, it is "Tarna", literally meaning "to turn", and in Turkish it is called döner kebab .The word shawarma ( ) comes from the Turkish word çevirme , meaning turning .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 370732746.
The opening as it stood in 2015 6 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Shawarma or Shawurma ( / ALA-LC : shāwarmā ;) is a Levantine Arab meat preparation, where lamb , chicken , turkey , beef , veal , or mixed meats are placed on a spit (commonly a vertical spit in restaurants ), and may be grilled for as long as a day.Shavings are cut off the block of meat for serving, and the remainder of the block of meat is kept heated on the rotating spit.Although it can be served in shavings on a plate (generally with accompaniments), shawarma also refers to a sandwich or wrap made with shawarma meat.Shawarma is usually eaten with tabbouleh , fattoush , taboon bread , tomato, and cucumber. Toppings include tahini , hummus , pickled turnips and amba . It is akin to the Turkish doner kebab and the Greek gyros .The Arabic naming shawarma or shawurma comes from the Turkish word çevirme "turning".Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle Eastern (Hardcover ed.).Shawarma is a popular Levantine Arab specialty.Shawarma - An Arab sandwich similar to the gyro.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 667760495.
The opening as it stood in 2020 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Levantine meat dish Shawarma ( / ʃ ə ˈ w ɑːr m ə / ; ) is a dish in Middle Eastern cuisine consisting of meat cut into thin slices, stacked in a cone-like shape, and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie or spit .Originally made of lamb or mutton , today's shawarma may also be chicken , turkey , beef , or veal .Thin slices are shaved off the cooked surface as it continuously rotates.Shawarma is one of the world's most popular street foods , especially in Egypt and the countries of the Levant , the Arabian Peninsula , and beyond.Encyclopedia of Jewish Food .Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia .The Oxford Companion to Food . Shawarma is a popular Levantine Arab specialty. Shawarma - An Arab sandwich similar to the gyro.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 965287046.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Middle Eastern meat dish Shawarma ( / ʃ ə ˈ w ɑːr m ə / ; ) is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Ottoman Empire , consisting of meat cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slowly turning vertical rotisserie or spit .Traditionally made with lamb or mutton, it may also be made with chicken, turkey, beef, or veal. Thin slices are shaved off the cooked surface as it continuously rotates. Shawarma is a popular street food in the greater Middle East , including Syria , Egypt , Israel , Kuwait , Iraq , Armenia , Georgia and other Levant countries , also served widely in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates . Encyclopedia of Jewish Food . Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia . The Oxford Companion to Food . Shawarma is a popular Levantine Arab specialty. Shawarma - An Arab sandwich similar to the gyro.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178858409.
The opening as it stood in 2025 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Middle Eastern dish Shawarma ( / ʃ ə ˈ w ɑːr m ə / ; Arabic : شاورما ) is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire , consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit .Traditionally made with lamb or mutton, it may also be made with chicken, turkey meat, beef, falafel or veal.The surface of the rotisserie meat is routinely shaved off once it cooks and is ready to be served.Shawarma is a popular street food throughout the Arab world , Levant, and the Greater Middle East . Encyclopedia of Jewish Food . Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia . The Oxford Companion to Food . Shawarma is a popular Levantine Arab specialty.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1286501666. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “middle eastern dish of fine ribbons of spicy lamb meat”. Today it says “middle eastern dish that originated in the levant during the ottoman empire”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2005 and 2025.
Then
middle eastern dish of fine ribbons of spicy lamb meat
Now
middle eastern dish that originated in the levant during the ottoman empire
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
