Gyro (food)

Gyros

Gyros sandwiches in Greece, with meat, onions, tomato, and tzatziki sauce rolled into a pita
Type	Meat or sandwich
Course	Main dish
Place of origin	Greece
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Meat: Beef, Veal, Mutton, Pork, or Chicken

A gyro or gyros (Greek pronunciation: [ˈʝiros]) (Greek: γύρος, gyros, literally 'turn') is a Greek dish made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, traditionally pork, or chicken, and outside of Greece with beef, veal, lamb, and usually served wrapped in a flatbread such as pita, with tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce.

To make gyros, pieces of meat are placed on a tall vertical rotisserie, in the shape of an inverted cone, which turns slowly in front of a source of heat, usually an electric broiler. If the meat is not fatty enough, strips of fat are added so that the roasting meat always remains moist and crisp. The rate of roasting can be adjusted by varying the strength of the heat and the distance between the heat and the meat, allowing the cook to adjust to varying rates of consumption. The outside of the meat is sliced vertically in thin, crisp shavings when done. It is generally served in an oiled, lightly grilled piece of pita, rolled up with various salads and vegetables such as lettuce, as well as sauces, such as mustard. Gyros form part of the sandwich family and are differentiated from other hand-held semi-folded foods by their complete over-wrap but unsecured lower flap.

The name comes from Greek γύρος ('turn'), meaning "turn"; it was originally called ντονέρ (pronounced [doˈner]) in Greek, from Turkish döner kebab. The word 'ντονέρ' was criticized in Greece for being Turkish, and the word 'gyros' was coined to replace it.