A million years ago man invented fire and since then he has figured out many ways to cook meat over it.  Every culture has its own unique ways of cooking meat over a fire.  Here are some of them from the regions around Greece: Souvlaki:  Greek meat dish which is traditionally pork. Meat is cooked on skewers and rotated in a grill, or spit (Greek for spit is souvla). They are cooked horizontally over the flames. Some souvlaki are served on the skewer, but they can also be taken off the skewer and served in pita bread with a sauce and garnish. Gyros:  Greek dish traditionally made with lamb, beef, pork or chicken. The meat is marinated with Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and oregano. Gyros means "turn" in Greek named for the turning rotisserie and shaved off. The main difference between a gyros and a souvlaki is the way the meat is cooked. Gyros are cooked as vertical cones of meat, not horizontally on a spit. Doner kebaba:  Has the oldest heritage and dates back to the ottoman empire in Turkey. Meat is cooked in a large Cone shape, on a vertical spike that is turns as meat is roasted.  Like the Gyros, the meat is shaved off as it is cooked.  The Doner Kabab is the grandfather to the Greek kebab.  The main difference is the robust, earthy, complex seasonings. Shawarma:  Is an Arabic dish.  It is their version of the tacos al pastor in Mexico. Shawarma is more about the flavor of the meat than the plethora of toppings on it.  The meat (mainly beef, lamb and chicken) marinate for up to 24 hours.  Bay leaves, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon and coriander are all spices used and the meat is topped with tabbouleh, fattoush and hummus with the sauce is usually being tahini. Kebab:  kalamaki in Greek, is where the meat is cubed into 1-inch chunks, marinated overnight in lemon juice and olive oil. The main spices in the marinade are Greek herbs such as oregano and on occasion thyme. Middle eastern and Asian culture all have versions of kababs.  In American culture we associate with being cooked on a skewer, but that’s not necessary.