What it means
کبابپز (kabâb-paz) means a kebab grill, specifically a stovetop or tabletop device designed to cook kebabs, whether on skewers or as flat patties. The element کباب (kabâb) comes from Arabic, where it referred to grilled or roasted meat, and has been part of Persian culinary vocabulary for many centuries. The suffix پز (paz) is purely Persian, derived from the verb پختن (pokhtan), meaning to cook, and appears in many compound words such as آشپز (cook), برنجپز (rice cooker), and ماهیپز (fish steamer). Together the compound names a cooking appliance rather than the dish itself. An outdoor charcoal setup might be called منقل (manqal) instead, which has an Arabic origin.
How to use it
- کبابپز رو روشن کن، داریم کباب میپزیم. (kabâb-paz ro roshan kon, dârim kabâb mipazim.) “Turn on the kebab maker, we are cooking kebabs.”
- این کبابپز برقیه یا گازی؟ (in kabâb-paz barqiye yâ gâzi?) “Is this kebab maker electric or gas?”
- با کبابپز میشه خونه هم کباب پخت. (bâ kabâb-paz mishe khune ham kabâb pokht.) “With a kabab maker you can cook kebab at home too.”
- کبابپز رو بعد از استفاده تمیز کن. (kabâb-paz ro ba’d az estefâde tamiz kon.) “Clean the kebab maker after use.”
Cultural note
Kebab holds a special place in Iranian food culture, traditionally cooked over charcoal by professional grillmasters called کبابی (kabâbi). Because replicating that experience at home without outdoor space is difficult, stovetop کبابپز devices became popular urban kitchen appliances. These range from simple ridged cast pans to electric contact grills. The most beloved home kebab is کباب کوبیده (kabâb-e kubide), ground meat on flat skewers, and a good کبابپز is judged largely by how well it handles this dish. Iranian cooking channels and food influencers frequently review and compare کبابپز models for exactly this purpose.