I was certain I knew what Gyros was; a huge cone-shaped piece of pressed mystery meat that spins on a vertical spit. Wrong. That's just an Americanized, watered down, tacky version of something wonderful.
In Greece the gyros meat is not ground and pressed. It consists of real meat, either thinly sliced pork steaks or whole chicken breasts . . . The only similarity to what is served in the US is the vertical spit and the way it is carved from the sides.
Gyros is Greek fast food. The meat is encased in a flat bread (similar to a pita but without a pocket). Ususally, there is a dab of Tzatziki (garlic or cucumber yogurt sauce), a few slices of onion, maybe a tomato slice, and French Fries all wrapped in white paper! Yes, the fries are in the sandwich. A few gyros stands also added catsup and mustard. Odd.
Gyros is the delight of the budget traveler. An order typically costs less than 2 euros and is quite filling. One warning: be sure to specify "gyros peda" when ordering. If you don't mention the word "peda" (bread), you will receive a much more expensive gyros plate.
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