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''This article is about the food dish. For other uses, see Gyro.''

'Gyros' or 'gyro' (Greek: ''γύρος'', "turning") (IPA: ) 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 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 kebap 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.

Contents

Name

Variations

Greece & Cyprus

Merida

Australia

Brazil

Canada

France

Malaysia

Middle East

Turkey

United Kingdom

United States

References

See also

External links

Name

The name comes from Greek γύρος 'turning', 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 , but in English, the pronunciation of 'gyro(s)' usually follows English spelling rules, giving ; though sometimes the Greek pronunciation is approximated (the intent of the spellings 'yeeros,' 'yiros' and 'Year-Oh'), giving . The correct spelling is giro with the i being long

Variations

Greece & 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). In Athens, and most of Greece, a "pita gyro" will contain tzatziki, tomato, onion and French fries apart from 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, French fries, 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 and greasiest 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. The first "gyradiko" (fast food shop) was "Giorgos" who brought gyros to Thessaloniki in 1970. A typical sandwich could cost from 2 euros until 2.30 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. Cretans usually enjoy strained yoghurt 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, which is awkward for most greeks. A sandwich there can cost the same price as in Thessaloniki, but with lower quality.

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 aluminium foil or λαδόκολλα (baking paper). A 200 gr portion of gyros is put, tomato, french fries, sliced onions, and/or mustard & ketchup.The portion of gyros can vary from 15o gr to even 450 gr in desolete places. People usually avoid eating gyros in deserted areas, or in bad shops, because gyros there has no consumption and its quality is poor, because the owner doesn't throw the remainings and puts it in the fridge, thus ruining its quality and taste.

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 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 the region of Australia with beef and chicken being often used in Queensland while in Melbourne 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 ''donair'', especially in and around Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia 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 ''chawarma''/''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 "kebab."
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

Similar to the gyro, but known as the doner kebab and not made with pork.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the name ''gyros'' is not widely known, the Turkish Döner Kebab (or more commonly ''doner'') being usual. However, soldiers ('squaddies') who have served on the British bases in Germany 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,^{[3] [4]} 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, although sometimes it is split open. The most common fillings are generally tomato and onion, though often feta cheese, lettuce, olives, or cucumber may be included. 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.
The pronunciation of "Gyro" varies throughout the United States. In the Midwest and Far West, it is pronounced "YEE-ROH," while in New England it is pronounced "JAI-ROH."

References

1. Kenneth F. Kiple, Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas, eds., ''Cambridge World History of Food'', Cambridge, 2000. ISBN 0521402166. Vol. 2, p. 1147.
2. Babiniotis, Λεξικό της Νεας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας; Andriotis ''et al.'', Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής
3. http://www.uic.edu/depts/chcc/chicago.htm
4. http://www.chicagotraveler.com/neighborhoods/greektown-feature.htm

See also

★ Kebab

★ List of Kebabs

★ Souvlaki

★ Iskender kebap

★ Shawarma

★ Al pastor

★ Cağ kebab

External links

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/details/Food/DonerKebap.html