Gyro

A vertical rotisserie cousin

Gyro (pronounced yee-roh in Greek) shares its DNA with Turkish doner kebab, which the Greeks adopted and reinvented in the 1920s after the population exchanges between Greece and Turkey. The meat is stacked on a vertical spit, slow-roasted as the spit rotates, and shaved off in thin strips as it crisps on the outside.

What the meat actually is

In Greece, pork or chicken dominates — cheap and locally available. The seasoned meat goes onto the spit in alternating layers of meat and fat, with marinade and herbs between layers, so the spit is essentially a giant homemade kebab loaf. American Greek diners, by contrast, often serve lamb-and-beef gyros made from a pre-formed industrial meatloaf rather than fresh meat.

Build of a Greek gyro

A traditional Greek pita-wrapped gyro contains:

• Shaved gyro meat
• Sliced tomato and onion
• Tzatziki (yogurt-cucumber-garlic sauce)
• A handful of fries tucked inside the wrap
• Sometimes oregano, paprika, lemon juice

The fries-in-wrap detail is a distinctly Greek convention, less common in American interpretations.

Plate vs. wrap

Greek tavernas also serve gyro as a plate (merida) — meat with pita on the side, salad, and tzatziki — rather than wrapped. Both formats are equally traditional.