What it means
سیخ (sikh) is a skewer: the long, thin metal or wooden rod you thread meat and vegetables onto before grilling them over coals. It is a native Persian word that goes back through Middle Persian to Old Iranian, and Turkish “şiş” and Arabic “shish” borrowed it from Persian, not the other way around. Beyond the kitchen, سیخ also means anything long, thin, and pointed, and as an adjective it can describe something standing bolt upright.
How to use it
- گوشت رو بزن به سیخ. (gusht ro bezan be sikh.) “Thread the meat onto the skewer.”
- چند سیخ کباب میخوای؟ (chand sikh-e kabab mikhay?) “How many skewers of kabab do you want?”
- این سیخها فلزین یا چوبی؟ (in sikh-ha felezin ya chubi?) “Are these skewers metal or wooden?”
- یهو سیخ سر جاش وایساد. (yeho sikh sar-e jash vaysad.) “He suddenly stood bolt upright.”
Cultural note
The سیخ is at the heart of Iranian kabab culture, and Iranians often count their grilled meat in skewers rather than portions, so an order might be “دو سیخ” (two skewers). Flat, wide metal skewers are used for کوبیده (kubideh), the minced-meat kabab, because the soft mixture would slip off a thin round rod. At home and at roadside kababis alike, threading the meat onto the سیخ and fanning the coals is a familiar ritual, often with one person taking charge of the grill.