Calling all Pakistani shawarma lovers.

Dear fellow Pakistanis. First off, don’t get me wrong. I love a good shawarma.

I mean I love them. I love how chat phata they are.

I love the tantalizing garlic mayo sauce…

But I hate to break it to you all Pakistani shawarma lovers, there’s one HUGE problem with the shawarma you’re eating

The thing is, it isn’t actually a shawarma.

YUP.

The shawarma you’ve grown to love and adore. IT AIN’T WHAT YOU THINK IT IS.

What you’ve been eating is just a regular ol’ chicken wrap. It certainly is no shawarma.

LITERALLY. JUST. A. WRAP.

My dear Pakistani shawarma lovers, this is what a real shawarma is:

If you feel like your world has suddenly collapsed upon you and all hope has ceased to exist, then you aren’t the only one.

The shawarma hails from waaaaaayyy back to the Ottoman empire in the 19th century. Grilling meat on skewers does originate from The Eastern Mediterranean, however, it was more profound in Ottoman Bursa, a.k.a. Turkey.

THIS IS WHAT A REAL SHAWARMA LOOKS LIKE Y’ALL.

Our chefs skilfully carving a shawarma! #Maroush #MaroushVereSt #Oxfordstreet #LebaneseFood pic.twitter.com/UkcHaGekqq

— Maroush Oxford St (@Maroush_VereSt) November 6, 2016

But like everything else, us Pakistanis have turned this delectable dish into another desi concoction which, as true shawarma lovers will tell you, is a type of shawarma but isn’t actually an “authentic” shawarma.

Firstly, as all shawarma lovers will tell you, there shouldn’t be an overload of every single seasonal vegetable available to you

ALL TRUE SHAWARMA LOVERS KNOW THAT ALL YOU NEED IS A BUNCH OF PICKLES.

I cannot emphasize the pickles enough.

And at most, some tomatoes, maybe…

But why we throw in an entire kachumar salad literally makes no sense.

Ummm, no. Like what on earth is this? I’m sorry.

Also, please don’t drown your shawarma in garlic mayo sauce, that’s a shawarma lovers’ biggest foe

I feel like I’m drinking a bottle of garlic mayo.

And don’t get me started on the naan.

The naan for a shawarma is meant to be thin and light, not a thick AF bread.

Who am I to tell you all this?

I’ve made a bunch of “authentic shawarmas” in my time.

I’m not saying I absolutely hate the greasy, cheesy, garlicy rolls we make but please don’t pass those off as “shawarma”, at least.

Cover image via: maroush.com