Extremely popular in northern China. You’ll find it everywhere in Beijing. It’s such a common sight to see vendors grilling numerous skewers and fanning away the wonderful fragrances skilfully! It’s always made to order, so you get the most flavoursome meat each time you order! There’s no one type of restaurant that serves this; you’ll find many types of restaurants offering this as a starter. That’s how popular it has become. However, in terms of origin it does go back to Xinjiang – where the Uyghurs reside.

Is it any different to Turkish/Middle Eastern kebabs?

It really is. Really. There are numerous thin and small meat chunks on each skewer. Apart from the notable size difference, the taste is also very distinctive. There’s a strong cumin flavour. Sooo addictive. Seriously, I didn’t think meat on a skewer could be so different/good. This is probably the single thing I had the absolute most of. Just writing this up is making my mouth water!