Gyro (food)

This article is about the Greek dish. For other uses, see Gyro (disambiguation).

"Gyros" redirects here. For the moth genus, see Gyros (moth).

Gyros

Gyros sandwiches in Greece, with meat, onions, tomato, french fries, and tzatziki sauce rolled into a pita
Origin
Place of origin	Greece
Details
Course served	Main dish
Type	Meat or sandwich
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredient(s)	Meat: Beef, Veal, Mutton, Pork, or Chicken

A gyro or gyros [ˈʝiros] (Greek: γύρος, gyros, literally 'turn') is a Greek dish made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, normally beef, veal, mutton, chicken or pork, or other alternatives such as feta or haloumi cheese, and usually served in a pita or sandwich, with tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce.

To make gyros, pieces of meat are placed on a tall vertical rotisserie, in the shape of an inverted cone, which turns slowly in front of a source of heat, usually an electric broiler. If the meat is not fatty enough, strips of fat are added so that the roasting meat always remains moist and crisp. 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 outside of the meat is sliced vertically in thin, crisp shavings when done. It is generally served in an oiled, lightly grilled piece of pita, rolled up with various salads and sauces.

Name

The name comes from Greek γύρος ('turn'), a calque of the Turkish döner meaning "turn", the name formerly used in Greece and spelled ντονέρ [doˈner]. The word 'ντονέρ' was criticized in Greece for being Turkish, and the word 'gyros' was coined to replace it.

The Greek pronunciation is [ˈʝiros], but the pronunciation in English is often /ˈdʒaɪroʊ/ or, occasionally /ˈɡɪəroʊ/ or /ˈjɪəroʊ/. The final 's' of the Greek form is often reinterpreted as a plural in English, leading to the formation of the singular "gyro".

Origins

Though grilling meat stacked on a skewer has ancient roots in the Eastern Mediterranean with evidence from the Mycenaean Greek and Minoan periods, grilling a vertical spit of stacked meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks was developed in the 19th century in Ottoman Bursa.

gyros form part of the sandwich family and are differentiated from other hand-held semi-folded foods by their complete over-wrap but unsecured lower flap.

Preparation

Gyros are cooked on a vertical broiler, formerly using charcoal in a "cage", now either gas or electric. As the cone cooks, lower parts are basted with the juices running off the upper parts.

The meat can be beef, veal, pork, lamb, chicken, or a mixture. The meat is cut into approximately round, thin, flat slices, which are then stacked on the spit and seasoned. Flat trimmings are usually interspersed.

Spice mixes generally include salt, hot and sweet paprika, white and black pepper, dried parsley, garlic powder, and oregano. Additional spices are sometimes added (e.g. cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, anise, coriander, fennel, allspice, sumac).

The rate of cooking can be changed by altering the intensity of the fire, the proximity of the meat to the heat source, and the speed of the spit rotation.

See also

• Al pastor
• Cağ kebab
• Doner kebab
• Dürüm
• Iskender kebap
• Shawarma
• List of kebabs

External links

• Gyros and Sheath Cakes