List of spit-roasted foods Facts for Kids

Preparation of méchoui on a spit, which uses a whole lamb

Have you ever seen a whole chicken or a big piece of meat slowly turning over a fire? That's called spit-roasting! It's a super old way of cooking where food is put on a long rod called a "spit." This spit then spins slowly, cooking the food evenly. Imagine a giant barbecue skewer that keeps turning!

Spit-roasting usually uses "indirect heat." This means the food isn't right on top of the flames. It cooks at a lower temperature than other grilling methods. As the food turns, its own juices drip down and then coat the meat again, making it extra tasty and moist. This is called "self-basting." People have been spit-roasting for thousands of years, even in ancient times! It was a popular way to cook birds and game.

Awesome Spit-Roasted Foods
- Amazing Spit Cakes
Gallery of Spit-Roasted Dishes
See also

Awesome Spit-Roasted Foods

Lots of delicious foods from around the world are made using a spit! Here are some of them:

Doner kebab on a vertical spit

Al pastor – This yummy dish from Mexico is made with spit-grilled meat. It was inspired by a similar dish called shawarma, brought to Mexico by people from Lebanon.
Cabrito al pastor – In northern Mexico, they cook a whole young goat this way. The goat is opened flat and roasted on a spit.
Cağ kebabı – This is a special lamb kebab from Turkey. The marinated lamb is stacked horizontally on a spit and slowly cooked.
Doner kebab – You might have seen this! Seasoned meat is stacked like an upside-down cone and turns slowly on a vertical spit. As the outside cooks, thin slices are shaved off.
Gyros – A popular Greek dish, very similar to doner kebab, made with meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie.
Inihaw – This is a general term in the Philippines for any grilled or spit-roasted meat or seafood.
Lechon – In Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines, this means a whole pig roasted on a spit. It's a big celebration dish!
Lechon manok – A Filipino dish of spit-roasted chicken. The chicken is marinated in a mix of garlic, bay leaf, onion, and other spices before cooking.
Méchoui – This North African dish is a whole sheep or lamb roasted on a barbecue spit.
Mutzbraten – From Germany, this is pork from the shoulder or back, seasoned and cooked over birch wood smoke on special stands.
Obersteiner Spießbraten – A special rolled roast from Germany, usually made with beef or pork neck.
Paksiw na lechon – A Filipino dish that uses leftover spit-roasted pork (lechon). It's cooked in a special sauce with vinegar, garlic, and other flavors.
Rotisserie chicken – A very common and tasty way to cook chicken! The chicken is placed next to a heat source and slowly turns until it's perfectly cooked.
- Pollo a la Brasa – This is a super popular rotisserie chicken dish from Peru. It's one of the most eaten foods there!
Shawarma – A Middle Eastern meat dish, much like the doner kebab, that's cooked on a vertical spit.
Siu mei – In Cantonese cooking, this is a general name for meats roasted on spits over an open fire or in a big rotisserie oven.

Amazing Spit Cakes

A kürtőskalács spit cake cooking on a spit roast

Did you know you can make cakes on a spit too? These are called spit cakes! They are made by pouring thin layers of dough or batter onto a spinning, cone-shaped spit. Each layer bakes as it turns, creating a unique cake.

Spettekaka – A special dessert from southern Sweden. Its name means "cake on a spit," which perfectly describes how it's made.
Baumkuchen – A German type of spit cake. It looks like a tree with rings when you slice it!
Kürtőskalács – A delicious spit cake from Hungarian-speaking areas in Romania. It's very popular in Hungary and Romania.
- Baumstriezel – A pastry similar to Kürtőskalács, from the Saxon communities in Transylvania.
- Trdelník – Another spit cake, similar to Kürtőskalács, popular in Slovakia and Czechia.
Šakotis – A traditional spit cake from Poland and Lithuania.