Donair
Encyclopedia
A donair is a variation on the döner kebab
. It was originally introduced in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
in the early 1970s. A restaurant called King of Donair
claims to have been the first to serve this version in 1973. The owners of King of Donair had originally tried selling Greek Gyro sandwiches, but had a hard time selling them so replaced the lamb with beef and the tzatziki
with a sweet garlic sauce, thus inventing the Donair. When the owners of King of Donair approached a local printer, Leo Arkelian of Halcraft Printers to design advertising, he suggested the new anglicized spelling, making it unique to the Halifax area.
The meat is sliced from a loaf cooked on a vertical spit, made from a combination of ground beef, flour or bread crumbs, and various spices. The sweet sauce is made from evaporated milk, sugar, vinegar, and garlic. The meat and sauce are served rolled in a flat-bread pita with diced tomato and onion - however, many donairs are served with so much meat that they are often eaten unrolled with the pita as a platform. Sizes often range from small 1/4 pound to "super donairs" weighing one pound.
The donair is very popular throughout the Atlantic Canada
, with many fast food pizza restaurants featuring donairs on the menu. It has also become available in some other areas of the country like Alberta and Southern Ontario
where Nova Scotian residents prompted a demand. Some pizza restaurants offer a donair pizza featuring all of the donair ingredients served on a pizza crust. A Donair dipping sauce may also be included.
(french fries topped with cheese curds, donair meat and donair sauce, gravy, or a combination of both), donair subs and donair burgers (both sandwiches use donair meat as a base and donair sauce as a condiment, with optional additions such as diced tomatoes and onions).
In the summer of 2008, after numerous cases of E. coli
related food poisoning due to the consumption of undercooked donair meat in Alberta
, the federal government came out with a set of guidelines for the preparation of donairs. The principal guideline was that the meat should be cooked at least twice: once on the spit, and then grilled as the donair is being prepared. Many Atlantic Canadian establishments already did this; however, Albertan restaurants, recently introduced to donairs by a large number of Atlantic Canadians looking for work there, often omitted the grilling step.
Döner kebab
Doner kebab is a dish made of roasted meat cooked on a vertical spit. It is also known regionally as gyro , shawarma, and al pastor . It consists of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats roasted on a spit. Less common alternatives include fish and sausage...
. It was originally introduced in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the early 1970s. A restaurant called King of Donair
King of Donair
King of Donair, , is a restaurant chain founded in the early 1970s in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The first store was on Quinpool Road and serviced a broad clientele into the early morning hours when at the time only a limited number of eating establishments were open...
claims to have been the first to serve this version in 1973. The owners of King of Donair had originally tried selling Greek Gyro sandwiches, but had a hard time selling them so replaced the lamb with beef and the tzatziki
Tzatziki
Tzatziki, tzadziki, or tsatsiki is a Greek meze or appetizer, also used as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros. Tzatziki is made of strained yoghurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, usually olive oil, pepper, sometimes lemon juice, and parsley. Tzatziki is always served cold...
with a sweet garlic sauce, thus inventing the Donair. When the owners of King of Donair approached a local printer, Leo Arkelian of Halcraft Printers to design advertising, he suggested the new anglicized spelling, making it unique to the Halifax area.
The meat is sliced from a loaf cooked on a vertical spit, made from a combination of ground beef, flour or bread crumbs, and various spices. The sweet sauce is made from evaporated milk, sugar, vinegar, and garlic. The meat and sauce are served rolled in a flat-bread pita with diced tomato and onion - however, many donairs are served with so much meat that they are often eaten unrolled with the pita as a platform. Sizes often range from small 1/4 pound to "super donairs" weighing one pound.
The donair is very popular throughout the Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, with many fast food pizza restaurants featuring donairs on the menu. It has also become available in some other areas of the country like Alberta and Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
where Nova Scotian residents prompted a demand. Some pizza restaurants offer a donair pizza featuring all of the donair ingredients served on a pizza crust. A Donair dipping sauce may also be included.
Variations
In Atlantic Canada, donair meat is used in a variety of dishes including donair egg rolls (an egg roll casing stuffed with donair meat), donair calzones/panzerottis, donair poutinePoutine
Poutine is a Canadian dish of French fries and fresh cheese curds, covered with brown gravy or sauce. Sometimes additional ingredients are added.Poutine is a fast food dish that originated in Quebec and can now be found across Canada...
(french fries topped with cheese curds, donair meat and donair sauce, gravy, or a combination of both), donair subs and donair burgers (both sandwiches use donair meat as a base and donair sauce as a condiment, with optional additions such as diced tomatoes and onions).
In the summer of 2008, after numerous cases of E. coli
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...
related food poisoning due to the consumption of undercooked donair meat in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, the federal government came out with a set of guidelines for the preparation of donairs. The principal guideline was that the meat should be cooked at least twice: once on the spit, and then grilled as the donair is being prepared. Many Atlantic Canadian establishments already did this; however, Albertan restaurants, recently introduced to donairs by a large number of Atlantic Canadians looking for work there, often omitted the grilling step.