MIAMI.- We celebrate National Gyro Day on September 1st., the tasty and delicious Greek sandwich we all enjoy.
The meat chosen to be roasted for Gyros is usually pork in Greece, but lamb, beef and chicken are also acceptable.
Historians assure that grilling a vertical spit of stacked meat and slicing it off as it cooks was developed in Bursa in the 19th century in the Ottoman Empire.
After the 1922-23 population exchange between Greece and Turkey, the Greeks brought their pork variation with them to Greece since Turkish Muslims don´t eat pork.
This Greek version became known as gyros, and it´s usually served with tomatoes, tzatziki, and deep-fried potatoes.
Let´s to know how to pronounce the name correctly. In Greece, this classic dish is pronounced “YEE-ro,” not JI-ro, GEE-ro or GUY-ro.
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.
And today, with Vegan and Vegetarian dishes becoming more popular, you can now get gyros made with mushrooms, chickpeas, or cauliflower replacing the meat, and even the tzatziki sauce can be made from tofu or hemp instead of yogurt.
Once the roasted meat (or veggie) is ready, it’s typically served as a sandwich with tomatoes, onions, sometimes feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce wrapped in Pita bread.
On Gyro Day, some restaurants hold raffles or reduce prices.
So, as National Gyro Day approaches, you might want to take advantage of Miami Grill, the fast-casual restaurant: Gyro Pita for $5.99 through September 22.
So let´s enjoy a good gyro featuring a generous serving of the highest-quality gyro meat and that it's made on a traditional vertical rotisserie, served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce on a grilled pita.
