Recent Articles

Gyro

You may be looking for gyroscopes.

Gyros (also spelled gyro, from Greek γύρος; 'turning') is a rotisserie meat, or by extension the pita sandwich it is usually found in. In addition to the meat, there are also various salads and sauces inside the pita. The most common filling is tomato, cucumber and onions.

The gyros is similar to the Turkish döner kebab. The pronunciation of gyros varies, with one linguist noting 5 pronunciations in Greece. yiro(s) ("yee-ros") is one of the leading pronunciations. Gyros and souvlaki are sometimes used as interchangeable terms in Greece although they refer to two different dishes.

Variations

In Greece, the meat is either pork or chicken. Strips of the meat are put onto the rotisserie, and as the meat cooks chippings are sliced off. Popular toppings include onion, tomato, cucumber, dried hot pepper, French fries, and various sauces and salads including ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, tzatziki, and 'Hungarian salad' (mayonnaise and bacon).

In Thessaloniki an order 'with everything' includes tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, and French fries in addition to the meat. Pitas are available in at least three types: 'plain', 'Cypriot', and 'Arabian'. 'Plain' pita is around 22cm in diameter and the thickest and greasiest of the three. 'Cypriot' pita is the same size but somewhat thinner, and split like pocket bread. Finally, 'Arabian' pita is crispy, and the flattest and largest.

In the United States, gyros is either made from chicken or a minced combination of lamb and beef. The pita is similar to a Greek 'plain' pita, although its frequently split open. The usual filling is just lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber. The only sauce available is usually tzatziki.