# Tell me about Greek Gyro's. What do they taste like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347 "2012-10-20T19:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/21 "2012-10-20T22:27:15Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > There was a wonderful Onion article about Northern Cyprus that showed the Green Line going through the middle of a restaurant. On one side it said “Gyros” and the other said “Kebabs.” Now that I think about it, it might have been in the Onion atlas book, _Our Dumb World_. Grr… make me get up and walk three feet to the left! At least in Our Dumb World (not that they probably don’t recycle jokes), it goes: two _outdoor_ stands with sandbags and concertina wire between. One says “GYROS” the other says “FALAFEL.” Caption: “There have been many battles in the falafel-gyro price war, but the victor is always the customer.” ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/22 "2012-10-20T22:38:05Z")
Though falafel is the Arabic name for an Arab food, so it doesn’t work so well in the Greek/Turkish context of Cyprus. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/23 "2012-10-20T22:44:32Z")
Yeah, and the Onion’s logo also looks more like a shallot than a globe onion! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/24 "2012-10-20T22:54:53Z")
I think the best word to describe the flavor of tzatziki sauce is “calm”. It’s about the calmest foodstuff imaginable. Which is not the same thing, mind you, as bland. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/25 "2012-10-20T22:58:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think the best word to describe the flavor of tzatziki sauce is “calm”. It’s about the calmest foodstuff imaginable. Which is not the same thing, mind you, as bland. Yeah, tasty but not spicy. Which is why I keep a bottle of Sriracha. (Incidentally, we’re having falafel pita sandwiches for lunch today.) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/26 "2012-10-20T23:00:01Z")
> [@sahirrnee](#): > > I’ve had them with lamb but I’ve seen places sell a chicken version. Then it’s your typical lettuce, tomato, raw onion. The feta cheese adds a salty taste that really blends well with the sauce. I don’t like cucumbers or yogurt, but I love the sauce, it’s kind of cool and refreshing in contrast to the feta. > [@Rebo](#): > > Not spicy, unless the raw onions are too strong. Tzatziki sauce is a thin yogurt/cucumber drizzle. Served in a pita with chopped tomatoes and onions. When I was in Crete, if you ordered fries with it they put the fries right in the pita with everything else. Excellent! ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/27 "2012-10-20T23:01:40Z")
There used to be a hole in the wall on Spring Garden Road in Halifax when I was in high school that had the BEST…we called them donairs when I was a kid. They were made with lamb and beef and the sauce wasn’t tzatziki but something a little sweeter. And the guy would heat up the pita on the grill first and load it up with meat, tomatoes, onions and sauce. When you ate it, the sauce would run down your arm…not a good first date meal. Haven’t tasted one as good since. Now I’m hungry. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/28 "2012-10-20T23:02:40Z")
I’ll go by and try a Gyro for lunch next week. Thanks everybody for the food advice. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Greekfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@Greekfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greekfreak)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/29 "2012-10-20T23:52:05Z")
Proper kebabs to me don’t use the “chuck”, but they’re straight out pork shavings seasoned like souvlakia. Outside of Sifnos, the best I’ve ever eaten were in the South of France, cooked by Turkish vendors. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/30 "2012-10-21T00:16:16Z")
All the gyro carts and places around here use watery mayo ☹ ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/31 "2012-10-21T00:39:40Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Where I live, gyros are made from beef unless otherwise noted. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > That makes me sad. > > =\> ☹ Me, too. At least lamb gyro meat is available, if not by default. It used to be near impossible to find. Lamb isn’t a popular meat out here. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/32 "2012-10-21T00:44:02Z")
Love, love, love them! By all means give 'em a try! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/33 "2012-10-21T02:28:36Z")
I used to go out of my way to pick them up from _It’s Greek to Me_ in Minneapolis Uptown, but I don’t go that way too often these days. There’s a place in the skyway near where I work, but I have two problems with their gyros. 1\> The lettuce they put on them is like 90% lettuce hearts. Now some people might like the crunch, but I don’t like the taste. 2\> Their sauce is almost entirely flavorless. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/34 "2012-10-21T02:36:09Z")
Man, I used to love to eat schwarma when I lived in Spain. Here in L.A., all the schwarma/gyro places that I’ve found serve some sort of nasty-ass processed loaf meat instead of real whole pieces of meat shaved off a spit. (Except for Zankou, which is delicious, but more Armenian-style with the pickled turnips and all.) ---
**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/35 "2012-10-21T03:22:33Z")
I was quite confused by this thread, since all Greek restaurants in Europe I know of use primarily pork for their gyros. Turkish doener kebap ist beef, veal or lamb, often ground and flavored with garlic, pepper and chili, but Greek gyros is pork (or seldom chicken) in thick steaks fixed on a spit and flavored with oregano, thyme and marjoram. Of course, if the restaurant is going for a more pan-mediterranean approach, it makes sense not to use pork and to use spices closer to the kebab and shawarma standard. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/36 "2012-10-21T03:28:32Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Just pronounce it the way it sounds But however you pronounce it, _that’s_ the way it sounds! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/37 "2012-10-21T05:58:44Z")
I’ve made gyros from scratch in a restaurant, and we used a mixture of ground lamb, ground beef and spices. We made discs of meat of diminishing sizes in a set of forms, then stacked the meat discs up, smoothing the sides together. Then we would skewer the whole pile and (and this is the tricky part) _quickly_ invert the whole stack so the smaller discs were on the bottom, and put the thing into the rotary cooker. Then you slick off thin strips as the meat cooks. It’s not quite the Parthenon or the Olympics, but the gyros is still in the top five best things the Greeks ever produced. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/38 "2012-10-21T06:00:52Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > But however you pronounce it, _that’s_ the way it sounds! :smack: Should have been ‘the way it’s spelled’. ETA: Even that doesn’t help considering the possible ways the spelling could be pronounced. They’ve probably heard them ordered with every variation of pronunciation, so you can’t go wrong. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/39 "2012-10-21T09:10:11Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Biggest concern is whether it’s spicy? My last scope procedure found irritation in my esophagus and I can’t handle spicy. Even with omeprazole, spicy foods give me very bad heartburn and usually comes back up. Is garlic a problem? Gyros, particularly the tzatziki, can be very garlicky. Other than that, the seasonings aren’t very pungent. The exact mixture differs a lot from recipe to recipe, but what you’ll get will most likely feature some combination of the usual Mediterranean herbs - rosemary, oregano, and such - and small quantities of spices like cumin and nutmeg. The traditional meat is most definitely lamb. The recipe we use here at Casaflodnak involves ground beef - I consider those “mock gyros”. They’re good, though, and easier to make on a weekday evening than the authentic sort. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347/40 "2012-10-21T14:00:10Z")
It is ethnic food frequently crafted by the people owning the joint. Or, they may simply place their monthly order of [Kronomatic formed Gyro Cones of Meat](http://www.kronosproducts.com/p-meats1.html). This is a premade mix of lamb and beef. Before you dive in, might I respectfully suggest that since you haver significant spice issues that you stop by and explain that you wish a very small taste- a morsel- of the meat, and a small spoonful taaste of the sauce? Also, many gyro places offer two kinds of sauce: the yoghurt sauce mentioned above and tachini sauce. ( sesame paste-based ). A little taste likely won’t give you painful reflux but the burn quality on the tongue will inform you better than any second hand input. One person’s painful spicy is another person’s wimpy bland. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-greek-gyros-what-do-they-taste-like/638347.md?page=3)