Guss (قص) is the Iraqi variant of what the world knows as shawarma or döner kebab, i.e., thinly sliced meat roasted on a vertical grill. Iraqis stuff the meat into samoon – their national bread.
The name “guss” literally means “to cut” or “to shear,” which accurately describes both the preparation and serving technique. While in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Oman, and Bahrain, the name shawarma has caught on, Iraqis have remained faithful to the description of the knife action.
The history of this dish is tied to the urban culture of Baghdad and other major cities. It is the food of busy streets and marketplaces, where the scent of roasting meat mingles with the dust and noise of the city.
Guss is a dish for everyone; it is eaten by workers on their break and families on an evening stroll. Its roots reach deep into the Ottoman era, when the vertical grilling technique spread across the region, but Iraq adopted it and adapted it to its own tastes – fewer yogurt marinades, more emphasis on the pure taste of the meat and specific spice blends, such as amba.
The foundation of good guss is meat and fat, in a precisely defined ratio. In Iraq, beef or veal is most commonly used, or sometimes lamb, which is alternated with layers of mutton fat. The use of fat is important. During roasting, it slowly melts and runs down the vertical tower of meat, constantly basting it, keeping it juicy, and adding a specific flavor you can never achieve with oil. The meat is often interleaved with potatoes.
Serving guss is practically invariable in Iraq. It is served in samoon bread, which is a traditional diamond-shaped Iraqi pastry, ideal for stuffing. Fresh, still-warm samoon is cut open and filled with a generous portion of meat. Iraqi guss would not be complete without the spicy mango sauce amba. To this, everyone adds fresh or pickled vegetables, parsley, or sumac according to their taste.
Without exaggeration, I must say that Iraqis have mastered this dish perfectly. And the beef sandwich grilled over charcoal at a renowned establishment in the small village of Khalifan was the best I have ever eaten. When you bite into their guss for 1,500 IQD (0.90 EUR), you first feel the resistance of the crunchy bread, then the hot, fatty meat, and finally, you are hit by the sour and spicy wave of amba. It is a filling, intense, and perfect meal.
Bon appétit!
