Gyros

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Gyros with french fries and salad

The gyros ( Greek γύρος , g íros or [ ˈʝirɔs ], spinning top, round, here rotated grill skewer ) describes a Greek method of preparation for meat and is similar to the Turkish doner kebab in terms of its external shape and preparation method, but differs significantly from it in that Pieces of pork are traditionally used to prepare classic gyros .

history

Etymology of the term

The term gyros has many meanings in Greek: the most common and original is spinning top or round . It also corresponds to the French term tour . For example, the Tour de France is known in Greek as Gyros tis Gallias ( Γύρος της Γαλλίας ) (Tour of France). The verb for gyros is gyrizo ( I turn or I drive around ). Only in the gastronomic context does the term gyros stand for the rotisserie and corresponds to the Turkish doner kebab . In Italian, the word has been adopted as Giro since the Renaissance and from there also found its way into German, for example as a current account . In connection with devices, the term appears e.g. B. at the beginning of the 19th century for the name of the gyroscope , a navigation device.

Grill

Gyros skewers in a Greek snack

It can be assumed that the horizontal grilling first existed and later the vertical. Both versions are found in many cultures. Grills with a crank were also found in Greece until the 1960s.

The gyros owes its breakthrough primarily to the development of modern grills. The development of the vertical grill device resulted from the often limited space available.

In Germany, the production of grills began in 1980 by the Polydor company in Lübbecke and from 1983 also by Potis in Göttingen . Both companies initially sold throughout Germany and Europe. In the meantime, both of them export the devices worldwide, including to Greece and Turkey. There are also numerous unlicensed replicas and fakes of the Potis grill device. Some of these are partial counterfeits, on which spare parts with the manufacturer's logo are attached to counterfeit devices. Gyros grills are electrically or gas-heated, the drive is always electric. The motor is up or down and turns right or left. The housing is made of stainless steel, in the lower area there is a grease drip tray.

distribution

The gyros can be found in Greece and many countries with people of Greek origin, such as the USA or Germany. In some countries the gyros is called under different names, in Brazil it is called churrasco grego and in France sandwich grec . The introduction of the gyro in the USA is documented between 1965 and 1968. It can be assumed that this happened around the same time in Germany. The US American journal Shepherd published the article " It's the Gyro - pronounced Gear-O " in 1972 , in which the suitability of gyros for lamb was shown using the example of a pita gyros (which is called "lamb burger" there).

In the 1980s, the gyros was very popular in West Germany. Greek rotisserie tools were used until the 1970s, after which they were almost exclusively German when they were manufactured in Germany.

The preparation of the meat skewer requires an estimate of the requirements. Since large fluctuations are common in gastronomy , the profit is reduced by throwing away the rest. What is left cannot be used the next day. In terms of price, the restaurateur must therefore allow for a certain buffer.

ingredients

Particularly soft pieces of pork, mostly pork neck, are usually made into gyros . The characteristic aroma is created by seasoning with salt , pepper , garlic , oregano and thyme . Sometimes cumin , marjoram and coriander are also used.

Occasionally, pieces of chicken (chicken gyros) for the calorie-conscious, lamb and, more rarely, pieces of beef are processed into gyros. However, this does not correspond to the traditional Greek preparation.

preparation

Many layers of seasoned pork are put on a skewer and rotated in front of a vertical grill . The freshly cooked outer layers of the meat are continuously cut off and can be used to make various dishes:

  • The most common is to serve gyros on a flat cake, the pita , with the addition of tomatoes, onions, tzatziki and possibly coleslaw .
  • Other variants are to serve the gyros as a main course or to bake it in a casserole dish with a sauce and other ingredients such as mushrooms or peppers with cheese . French fries and mixed salad or coleslaw are often served as side dishes. Often rice is served with oregano or marjoram seasoning.
  • One of these variants can be served in the form of a pizza by rolling the gyros and the side dishes into a cheese-filled pizza dough, which is coated on the outside with a tomato sauce and then covered again with cheese and then placed in the oven.
  • Gyros is also offered in half-sliced ​​bread or a flatbread as a σάντουιτς ("sandwich"), with sauces and onions and French fries, if you like. The dish is usually not eaten whole, but rather like a plate dish with fingers or a fork from the open bread.

Rotisserie dishes

In addition to the gyros, other dishes are also prepared on the rotisserie, such as:

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gyros. In: duden.de. Retrieved January 28, 2015 (spelling, meaning, definition, origin).
  2. ↑ Γύρος της Γαλλίας . Greeklex.net
  3. ^ Exploring Chicago . University of Illinois at Chicago. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
  4. ^ Greektown, a Chicago Neighborhood Guide . chicagotraveler.com. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
  5. ↑ Leah A Zeldes: How to Eat Like a Chicagoan . In: Chicago's Restaurant Guide , Chicago's Restaurant Guide, September 30, 2002. Archived from the original on October 1, 2002. 
  6. ^ New England Sheep and Wool Growers Association: Shepherd, Vol. 17-18, p. 19, 1972.