Gyros
This article is about the food dish. For other uses, see Gyro.
Gyros or gyro (Template:PronEng or /ˈdʒaɪroʊ/, Greek: γύρος "turn") is a Greek fast food; it is a kind of meat roasted on a vertical rotisserie. By extension, gyros may refer to the pita sandwich it is often served in, with various salads and sauces. The most common fillings are tomato, onions, french fries and tzatziki sauce. Sometimes the name is applied to the form of the sandwich (pita wrapped around filling) rather than to the filling itself, and sometimes the name "souvlaki" is applied to the sandwich.
The Arabic shawarma and Mexican tacos al pastor are similar to gyros, all derived from the Turkish döner kebab which was invented in Bursa in the 19th century.[1]
To make gyros, slices of meat are placed on a tall vertical skewer, which turns in front of a source of heat. The rate of roasting can be adjusted by varying the strength of the heat and the distance between the heat and the meat, allowing the cook to adjust to varying rates of consumption. The meat is sliced vertically. It is generally served in an oiled, fried piece of pita, rolled up with various salads and sauces.
Name
The name comes from Greek γύρος 'turn', a calque of the Turkish name döner kebab 'turning roast'; the dish was formerly called ντονέρ [don'er] in Greece as well.[2]
The Greek pronunciation is [ˈʝirɔs], but in English, the pronunciation of 'gyro(s)' usually follows English spelling rules, giving [ˈdʒaɪɹəʊ(s)]; though sometimes the Greek pronunciation is approximated (the intent of the spellings 'yeeros,' 'yiros' and 'Year-Oh'), giving [ˈjiːɹəʊ(s)].[3]
Variations
Greece and Cyprus
In Greece and Cyprus, the meat is typically pork, chicken, or lamb, and occasionally beef (a beef Gyro is mostly referred to as "ντονερ" doner)[citation needed]. In Athens, and most of Greece, a "pita gyro" will contain tzatziki, tomato, onion and fried potatoes in addition to the meat. However some places offer different alternatives to the classic ingredients. A pita gyro with pork will be served with tzatziki as a dressing, whereas the chicken dressings vary from shop to shop but are most often a variant on mayonnaise.
In Thessaloniki an order of "pita gyro" includes tomato, onion, fried potatoes, mustard and/or ketchup in addition to the meat. Pitas are available in at least three types: 'plain', 'Cypriot', and 'Arabian' in some chain restaurants, however in most places only 'Plain' is offered. 'Plain' pita is around 20cm in diameter and the thickest of the three. 'Cypriot' pita are the same size but somewhat thinner, and are split like pocket bread. 'Arabian' pitas are crispy, and the flattest and largest. Gyros is also served in sandwich-type bread. Gyros was originally inroduced to Greece from Thessaloniki, and specifically from the district of Toumba. There are several stories regarding Gyros's origin: One says that the first "gyradiko" (fast food shop) was "Giorgos" who brought gyros to Thessaloniki in 1970[citation needed], another story says that Gyros came in 1950s in Piraeus from a cooker arrived from İstanbul[4]. There are, however, photos of "manges", Greek figures of the underworld, in 1880, sitting in gyros shops in Athens of the time. This implies that the introduction of gyros was far earlier than the aforementioned dates. A typical sandwich could cost from 2 Euros to 2.30euros the most expensive (2007 rates). Finally, Thessaloniki will offer the biggest sandwich in all Greek cities.
On the island of Crete, pork meat is the most popular filling although in some of the larger cities (notably the city of Chania) there are also chicken (and even falafel) alternatives. Those in Crete usually enjoy strained yogurt in lieu of tzatziki, and many stands offer "Russian sauce" which is a mixture of pickles and mayonnaise.
In Kos, a Greek island in the Aegean sea, the locals wrap chicken and add fried potatoes to gyros. This variation usually costs around 1 Euro (regional prices may vary)
In other Greek cities, like Patra, where gyros is not so popular, the sandwich is often prepared and then put in a toaster or toasted under a press, like a panino, popular grilled sandwich throughout Europe . A sandwich there can cost the same price as in Thessaloniki.
Merida
Merida (portion), is a way of serving meat, where instead of putting the meat into a pita or bread, it is put in a disk with aluminum foil or λαδόκολλα (baking paper). A 200 gr portion of gyros is put with tomato, french fries, sliced onions, and/or mustard & ketchup. The portion of gyros can vary from 150 gr to even 450 gr in more remote places.
Australia
Gyros in Australia are typically based on lamb, chicken or beef, or a combination of those meats. In addition to the usual fillings of onion, lettuce and tomato, extra fillings may include bulgur (cooked wheat), hummus, cheese and tabouli. The sauce is usually a yogurt sauce such as tzatziki, but chilli sauce (often Thai sweet chilli sauce) can also be used. The pita bread may be quickly toasted before the dish is assembled or the entire dish may be toasted in a sandwich press after assembly.
In Australia, the names gyros, souvlaki, döner kebab, and shawarma are used more or less interchangeably, depending on the vendor, the national group, or community in question more than on the nature of the food.
Different names are favoured in different regions of Australia. In South Australia they are known (both in the singular and plural) as yiros, a rendering of the normal modern Greek pronunciation into the Roman alphabet. In New South Wales they are known as doner kebabs or kebabs in Turkish or Lebanese shops or yeeros/yiros in Greek shops. In Queensland and Western Australia they are called kebabs. In Victoria (which has a large Greek population) they are generally known as gyros or souvlaki. In Tasmania they are generally called kebabs or souvlaki.
In most cases gyros or souvlaki tend to be made of thicker pieces of meat than that of doner kebabs which are usually made using thin shards of meat. Also different meats often vary on the region of Australia with beef and chicken being often used in Queensland while in Melbourne and Tasmania beef is less common with lamb used instead.
Brazil
In Brazil, gyros is sold as churrasco grego (Greek barbecue).
Canada
In Canada, gyros are sometimes sold as donairs, especially in and around Halifax, Nova Scotia and St. John's, Newfoundland where it was first introduced to Canada in 1973. In areas with heavy Greek populations, such as the Danforth area in Toronto, they are still commonly sold as gyros. Donair meat is also available as a pizza topping. The sauce, however, differs from the traditional cucumber/yogurt tzatziki in that it consists instead of sweetened condensed milk and garlic powder.
France
While the name gyros is not commonly used in France, a similar and very popular fast food is sold under the name sandwich grec (Greek sandwich), kebab, chiche kebab or döner kebab (or shawarma in Lebanese and Israeli restaurants). As a street food, it is served optionally with chips (french fries) stuffed into the sandwich on top of the meat and salad.
Malaysia
There is also a similar food in Malaysia, known as "sate." Normally the filling consists of meat (such as chicken), tomatoes, mayonnaise, onion and lettuce. They are generally sold at the "pasar malam" (night market) at a certain area once or twice a week.
Middle East
In the Middle East the gyro is called "shawarma" and is usually made of chicken or beef. The shawarma can be served in a pita, or in a lafa (a pita without a pocket which holds more food). The meat is not commonly prepared in strips like American Gyros, but chopped into smaller chunks.
Turkey
The Turkish variant Döner Kabab is similar to the gyro in terms of cooking, but beef is used instead of pork.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the name gyros is not widely known, the Turkish Döner Kebab (or more commonly just "Kebab", "doner" being a variety of kebab) being usual. However, soldiers ('squaddies') who have served on the British bases in Cyprus often refer wistfully to the delights of Gyros. Doner are a very popular post-pub/nightclub food with many high streets in the UK having a kebab house. These kebab shops were initially primarily owned by Turkish Cypriots, hence the use of the dry, hard 'pocket' Cypriot pita in place of the typically doughy, more naan-like Greek pita. Tzatziki is rare, and replaced by generic garlic and/or chilli sauce.
United States
Gyros were introduced to the Chicago area in 1968,[5][6] and have since spread to all parts of the country. In the United States, gyros are usually made from sliced lamb, minced beef or possibly a combination of the two. Chicken is a common alternative in many restaurants serving gyros. The pita resembles a Greek 'plain' pita. The most common fillings are generally tomato and onion. The sauce is usually tzatziki, sometimes called "Cucumber", "Yogurt", or "White" sauce. These sandwiches are often served in luncheonettes or diners.
In the United States, many restaurants (and even Greek-American festivals) sell gyros with meat which is pre-formed into strips (as though they had been sliced from the rotisserie) and frozen. This is often considered to be inferior to actual rotisserie meat, and has a very different taste from a Greek Gyros.
References
- ^ Kenneth F. Kiple, Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas, eds., Cambridge World History of Food, Cambridge, 2000. ISBN 0521402166. Vol. 2, p. 1147.
- ^ Babiniotis, Λεξικό της Νεας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας; Andriotis et al., Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής
- ^ Doner/Gyro, information on pronunciation and terminology.
- ^ http://www.hellenicgyros.gr/main_en.cfm?menu_id=1&submenu_id=37
- ^ "Exploring Chicago". University of Illinois at Chicago. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ^ "Greektown, a Chicago Neighborhood Guide". chicagotraveler.com. Retrieved 2007-09-23.