Origin
Gyros comes from the Turkish dish kebab, developed in the 19th century in the city of Bursa. The Greeks slightly modified the recipe by changing the spices and also enriching it with pork.
What is a gyros?
Gyros is a traditional dish of Greek cuisine. One of the most popular and cheapest fast food dishes in Greece. This meat is roasted on a large spit, with electric or gas radiators, rotated, usually electrically, around a vertical axis. Pork ham is usually used to make gyros. In addition, chicken gyros, mutton and veal gyros are also common. After reaching consumption readiness, it is gradually cut off with a long knife or a special electric knife as slices several centimeters long. Usually served as a takeaway with a few tomato slices and home fries. Topped with Tzatziki sauce. Wrapped in pita.
What is Tzatziki sauce?
Greek dip served as an accompaniment to grilled, fried, baked dishes, or served alone as a dip. It can also be eaten with baked bread. It consists of:
- greek thick yoghurt 10%,
- cucumber, finely chopped, salted and juice squeezed,
- crushed or powdered garlic,
- oil.
Gyros in the restaurant version.
In the restaurant version, gyros is served with a country salad, outside of Greece also known as Greek salad. Pita is often baked more strongly, preferably if on a charcoal-fired grill, usually with oil and oregano, it can be crispy, then cut into many pieces. This version is usually at least twice as large, may be slightly richer in ingredients, and is at least three times more expensive than the takeaway version.
Traditional gyro recipe
Marinate:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
- pepper,
- salt,
- sweet pepper,
- hot pepper,
- rosemary,
- thyme,
- garlic.
Tzatziki sauce:
- 200 g of Greek yogurt,
- 2 small field cucumbers,
- clove of garlic,
- spoon of oil,
- chopped dill,
- pinch of salt,
- pepper.
Ingredients:
- 30 grams of meat – mutton, chicken, lamb or pork,
- medium-sized onion,
- 2 large tomatoes,
- large greenhouse cucumber or several field cucumbers,
- potatoes, bread or pita for serving,
- pita.
Where can you taste gyros?
You can taste it in most Greek fast food and local restaurants with Greek cuisine.