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Gyros

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This article is about the Greek dish. For the moth genus, seeGyros (moth).For other uses, seeGyro (disambiguation).

Gyros,sometimesanglicizedasgyro[2][3][4](/ˈjɪəroʊ,ˈdʒɪər-,ˈdʒaɪr-/;Greek:γύρος,romanized:yíros/gyros,lit. 'turn',pronounced[ˈʝiros]) in some regions, ismeatcooked on a verticalrotisserie,then sliced and served wrapped or stuffed inpita bread,along with other ingredients such astomato,onion,fried potatoes,andtzatziki.In Greece, it is normally made withpork[5]or sometimes withchicken,whilst beef and lamb are also used in other countries.[6]

Gyros
Gyros in Greece, with meat, onions, tomato, lettuce,fried potatoes,andtzatzikirolled in apita
Alternative namesGyro[1]
TypeMeatwrap
CourseMain course
Place of originGreece
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsPita bread,pork,fried potatoes,lettuce, tomato, onions,tzatzikioryogurt
VariationsChicken,beef,orlambinstead of pork

Name

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The name comes from theGreekγύρος(gyros,'circle' or 'turn'). It is acalqueof theTurkishdöner,fromdönmek,also meaning "turn".[7]

In Athens and other parts of southern Greece, the skewered meat dish elsewhere calledsouvlakiis known askalamaki,whilesouvlakiis a term used generally for gyros, and similar dishes.[8]

In Greek, "gyros" is anominativesingular noun, but the final 's' is often interpreted in English usage as plural,[9]leading to the singularback-formation"gyro".[10]The standard Greek and English pronunciation is[ˈʝiɾos].Some English speakerspronounce it/ˈdʒaɪroʊ/,likely because the word is aheteronymof the unrelated word "gyro".[11]

Similar dishes

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Gyros plate.
Gyros preparation.

Gyros is made in a similar manner to other dishes such as the Arabshawarma,Canadiandonair,Mexicanal pastor,and the Turkishdöner kebab.[12]

History

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The earliest known photo ofdoner kebab(meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie) byJames Robertson,1855,Ottoman Empire

Grilling a vertical spit of stacked meat and slicing it off as it cooks was developed inBursa[13]in the 19th century in theOttoman Empire.After the1922-23 population exchange between Greece and Turkey,the Greeks brought their variation with them to Greece. FollowingWorld War II,gyros made with lamb (called shawarma) was present in Athens.[14][13]It was likely introduced by immigrants fromAnatoliaand theMiddle East.[5][15]The Greek version is normally made with pork and served withtzatziki,and became known as gyros.[16][17]

By 1970, gyroswrapswere already a popularfast foodin Athens, as well as in Chicago and New York City.[18][19][20]At that time, although vertical rotisseries were starting to be mass-produced in the US by Gyros Inc.[18]of Chicago, the stacks of meat were still hand-made. There are several claimants to have introduced the first mass-produced gyros to the United States, all based in the Chicago area in the early 1970s, and of Greek descent. One of them, Peter Parthenis, has said that the mass-produced gyro was first conceptualized by John and Margaret Garlic; John Garlic was a Jewish car salesman who later ran a restaurant featuring live dolphins.[20]

The Halifax donair in Canada which was based on the Greek gyros was invented in the 1970s by Peter Gamoulakos. Originally from Greece, he started selling Greek gyros (a pita stuffed with grilled lamb and tzatziki) from his restaurant located off the Bedford Highway.[21]

Preparation

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In Greece, gyros is normally made with pork, though other meats are used in other countries.[16]Chicken is common, and lamb or beef may be found more rarely.[citation needed]Typical American mass-produced gyros are made with finely ground beef mixed with lamb.[20]

For hand-made gyros, meat is cut into approximately round, thin, flat slices, which are then stacked on a spit and seasoned. Fat trimmings are usually interspersed. Spices may includecumin,oregano,thyme,rosemary,and others.[citation needed]The pieces of meat, in the shape of an inverted cone, are placed on a tall verticalrotisserie,which turns slowly in front of a source of heat orbroiler.As the cone cooks, lower parts are basted with the juices running off the upper parts. The outside of the meat is sliced vertically in thin, crisp shavings when done.[16][22]

The rate of roasting can be adjusted by varying the intensity of the heat, the distance between the heat and the meat, and the speed of spit rotation, thus allowing the cook to adjust for varying rates of consumption.[citation needed]

In Greece, it is customarily served in an oiled, lightly grilled piece of pita, rolled up with sliced tomatoes, chopped onions, lettuce, andfried potatoes,sometimes topped withtzatziki,or, sometimes innorthern Greece,ketchup or mustard.[23][24][25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Gyro Sandwich History".What's Cooking America.21 May 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 18 January 2022.Retrieved17 January2022.
  2. ^"gyro".LexicoUK English Dictionary.Oxford University Press.Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2021.
  3. ^"gyro".Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.Merriam-Webster.
  4. ^"GyroArchived2022-05-03 at theWayback Machine".Cambridge Dictionary.Cambridge University Press. 2022.
  5. ^abSimopoulos, Artemis P.;Bhat, Ramesh Venkataramana Bhat, eds. (2000).Street foods.Basel: Karger. p. 6.ISBN9783805569279.OCLC41711932.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-03-07.Retrieved2019-03-17.
  6. ^Segal, David (2009-07-15)."The Gyro's History Unfolds".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2023-11-07.
  7. ^Babiniotis,Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας
  8. ^Gatsoulis, Joyce-Ann (2006).Night+Day Athens.ASDavis Media Group.ISBN9780976601302.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-03-07.Retrieved2019-10-28– via Google Books.
  9. ^"GYRO | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary".dictionary.cambridge.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-07-14.Retrieved2019-07-14.
  10. ^Francis, Jay (2009-01-09)."Greek 101".Houston Press.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-06-08.Retrieved2019-10-28.
  11. ^Cutolo, Morgan (24 July 2024)."Gyro Food Pronunciation: What Is the Correct Way?".rd.com.Retrieved16 October2024.
  12. ^Kremezi, Aglaia(2010)."What's in the Name of a Dish?".In Hosking, Richard (ed.).Food and Language: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2009.Vol. 28. Totnes: Prospect Books. pp. 203–204.ISBN9781903018798.OCLC624419365.
  13. ^abKenneth F. Kiple, Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas, eds.,Cambridge World History of Food,Cambridge, 2000.ISBN0-521-40216-6.Vol. 2, p. 1147
  14. ^"(unknown title)".Sports Illustrated.Vol. 3. Time, Incorporated. 1955. p. 116.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-03-07.Retrieved2020-10-08– via Google Books.
  15. ^Davidson, Alan (21 August 2014).The Oxford Companion to Food.OUP Oxford.ISBN978-0-19-104072-6– via Google Books.
  16. ^abcKremezi, Aglaia(2010)."What's in the Name of a Dish?".In Hosking, Richard (ed.).Food and Language: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2009.Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery.Prospect Books.pp. 203–204.ISBN978-1-903018-79-8.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-01-15.Retrieved2018-10-19– via Google Books.
  17. ^Γιάκωβος Σ. Διζικιρικής, Να ξετουρκέψουμε τη γλώσσα μας 'Let Us De-Turkify our Language', Athens 1975, p. 62, proposes substitutingγυριστόforντονέρ,butThe New York Timeswas already using the wordgyroin English in 1971 (4 Sept. 23/1) according to theOED,1993 online edition,s.v.
  18. ^abGlaser, Milton; Snyder, Jerome (7 December 1970)."Spit and Image".New York.New York Media, LLC.Archivedfrom the original on 15 January 2023.Retrieved22 January2024– via Google Books.
  19. ^"The Gyro, a Greek Sandwich, Selling Like Hot Dogs".The New York Times.September 4, 1971. p. 23.Archivedfrom the original on March 23, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 22,2016.
  20. ^abcDavid Segal (July 14, 2009)."The Gyro's History Unfolds".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on July 21, 2016.RetrievedJune 4,2016.
  21. ^corusadmin (2022-04-27)."The Delicious History Of The Halifax Donair".Food Network Canada.Retrieved2023-08-20.
  22. ^Albala, Ken (2011).Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia.ABC-CLIO.ISBN9780313376269– via Google Books.
  23. ^Kraig, Bruce; Taylor Sen, Colleen (9 September 2013).Street Food around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture.ABC-CLIO.ISBN9781598849554.Archivedfrom the original on 7 March 2023.Retrieved21 September2019– via Google Books.
  24. ^"A guide to ordering" gyros "in Greece".Itinari.26 May 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 12 December 2019.Retrieved12 December2019.
  25. ^"Great Street Food in Thessaloniki: A Round-the-Clock Guide".Greece Is.4 July 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 12 December 2019.Retrieved12 December2019.
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  • The dictionary definition ofgyrosat Wiktionary
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