Food - Drink
What Is Shawarma And How Is It Different From Gyro?
By KATHERINE BECK
When it comes to street food, it’s hard to beat Middle Eastern shawarma and Greek gyros. Since both wraps incorporate hand-carved meat slow-cooked on large spits, flatbread, sauce, and fresh toppings, the two meals might seem interchangeable, and while they both share a common origin, shawarmas and gyros have evolved into two distinct styles.
As hinted by their names, shawarma, meaning “turning,” and gyro, meaning “round,” both involve the process of slow-cooking large spits of meat vertically so the juices drip down and marinate the rest of the meat. However, while shawarma uses lamb or mutton along with the occasional chicken, veal, goat, and beef, gyros are usually made with pork, beef, or chicken.
Shawarma is full of Middle Eastern flavor and gets a hefty dose of seasonings like turmeric, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and garlic while gyros keep it simple with rosemary, thyme, and oregano. The two share toppings like tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and sometimes fries, but shawarma is topped with creamy tahini whereas gyros are drizzled with tzatziki.