I·ATE Food Term of the Week: Gyros, Ćevapi, Shawarma

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Gyros food banner

Piadina, wrap, durum, burrito, quesadilla; these were all featured in last week’s Food Term of the Week post. However, the world is full of even more variations on this simple concept of a filling with a flatbread wrapped around it. For this reason, we have decided to share the second half of this two-part special featuring other variations from around the world. We hope you enjoy this week’s I·ATE Food Term of the Week post.

 

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Gyros (or Gyro) is a Greek dish which consists of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Pork or chicken are traditionally chosen, but other options such as beef or lamb can be common outside of Greece. It is then served in a flatbread, usually pita, which is wrapped around the meat and the other fillings. Normally, gyros is served with tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce. It can also contain different vegetables and sauces, and the bread is typically lightly toasted.

gyros pic

 

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Ćevapi is a grilled dish of minced meat, a type of skinless sausage, found traditionally in the countries of southeastern Europe due to its origins in the Balkans during the Ottoman period. It is considered as a national dish in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, but is also common in Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania, Slovenia, Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania.

Ćevapi is usually served as 5–10 pieces on a plate or in a flatbread such as lepinie or somun. A number of ingredients are added before it is served. These usually include chopped onions, sour cream, kajmak, ajvar, feta cheese, minced red pepper and salt. Bosnian ćevapi are made from two types of minced beef meat,while Serbian ćevapi are made of either beef, lamb, pork or a mixture of meats.

Cevapi

 

turkey

 

 

 

Shawarma is a Levantine meat dish, in which lamb, chicken, turkey, beef, veal or mixed meats are placed on a spit (normally a vertical spit) and grilled. They may be grilled for as long as a day and shavings are cut off of the meat before they are served. Shawarma can be served on a plate or with a flatbread which is wrapped around the filling. It is usually eaten with tabbouleh, fattoush, taboon bread, tomato, and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus, pickled turnips, and amba. It is very similar to Greek Gyros.

schawarma

 

We hope you enjoyed this short culinary trip around the world!
Feel free to add comments about your local version of this dish.
Have a nice weekend, and join us next week for next I·ATE Food Term of the Week!


 

Sources

  • Wikipedia, Gyro (food). Available here [accessed on 17/11/17].
  • Wikipedia, Cevapi. Available here [accessed on 17/11/17].
  • Wikipedia, Schawarma. Available here [accessed on 17/11/17].

 

Written by
Liam Kennedy
– Schuman Trainee at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament. Graduate of Journalism with a Language (French) at Dublin Institute of Technology. Currently completing a Masters in Translation Studies at University College Cork;