Skewer

Lore & Background

At the 300,000-year-old Schöningen site in Germany, a stick with a burnt tip was suggested to have been used to cook meat over a fire, though later scholars have questioned this interpretation. Excavations of the Minoan settlement of Akrotiri unearthed stone 'fire dogs' used before the 17th century BCE, with pairs of indentations that may have been used for holding skewers. Homer in Iliad (1.465) mentions pieces of meat roasted on spits (ὀβελός, obelós). In Classical Greece, a small spit or skewer was known as ὀβελίσκος (obeliskos), and Aristophanes mentions such skewers being used to roast thrushes.

Reader's Guide

The skewer is a fundamental culinary tool with a long and disputed history. Evidence from the Schöningen site in Germany suggests possible use over 300,000 years ago, though this interpretation has been questioned. More certain archaeological evidence comes from Minoan Akrotiri, where stone supports with indentations may have held skewers before the 17th century BCE. Literary references appear in Homer's Iliad and in works by Aristophanes. The story is often told of medieval Middle Eastern soldiers—usually Turkish or Persian, depending on the storyteller—who cooked meat skewered on their swords. One of the most well-known skewered foods is shish kebab; the earliest literary evidence for the Turkish word şiş (shish) as a food utensil comes from the 11th-century Diwan Lughat al-Turk, where it is defined as both a skewer and a tool for arranging noodles, though all subsequent references define it solely as a skewer. Skewers are used in countless dishes worldwide, from kebabs to satay to corn dogs, and remain essential for grilling and roasting.

Did You Know?

• The word 'skewer' may be used as a metonym to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in 'chicken skewers.'
• In English, 'brochette' is a borrowing of the French word for skewer; 'en brochette' means 'on a skewer.'
• The earliest literary evidence for the Turkish word 'şiş' (shish) as a food utensil comes from the 11th-century Diwan Lughat al-Turk.
• Non-metallic skewers are often made from bamboo or hardwoods such as birch or beech; wooden skewers may be soaked in water prior to grilling to avoid burning.