Who invented the Halifax Donair?

Peter Gamoulakos
As the story goes, the Halifax donair was first invented in the 1970s by Peter Gamoulakos. Originally from Greece, he started selling Greek gyros (a pita stuffed with grilled lamb and tzatziki) from his restaurant located off the Bedford Highway.

Who brought the Donair to Canada?

Good question, but first we need to go back to the history of donairs in Canada. As detailed in Halifax food blogger Lindsay Wickstrom’s Book of Donair, donairs arrived in Canada via Greek immigrant Peter Gamoulakos, who first attempted to sell gyros at his Nova Scotia pizza shop in the early 1970s.

What is a Donair from Halifax?

The legendary Halifax donair consists of thin slices of spiced beef laid on a warm Lebanese pita, topped with diced onion and tomato, and finally, drizzled with the sweet garlicky sauce. Donair flavours are becoming so popular that there’s actually a thing called the ‘donair pizza’.

Where did Donair pizza originate?

Halifax
in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was founded by Greek immigrant and restaurateur Peter Gamoulakos, who owned a pizza shop called Velo’s Pizza. While on trip to Greece, he ate a lot of gyros and was inspired to bring the dish to Canada.

What is Donair meat called?

Donairs were once made of lamb but beef has become the donair meat nowadays. On the other hand, shawarma is mostly made of chicken that is cut in slices and stacked in a cone-like shape on a vertical rotisserie.

What’s the difference between a Donair and a shawarma?

is that shawarma is a middle eastern sandwich-like wrap of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or a mixture thereof while donair is (canada) a nova scotian variant of the doner kebab, including breadcrumbs and spices, and served with a sweet sauce made from evaporated milk, sugar, vinegar, and garlic.

What ethnicity is a donair?

Donairs – in the past – are traditionally either Greek or Turkish in origin, also known as “doners”, “gyros”, “doner kebabs”, “kebabs” and “donners”. The history of the donair goes back far past Halifax, to either Greece or Turkey. For matters of simplicity and convenience, our donair history starts in Halifax.

What is the difference between shawarma and donair?

What is the meaning of Donair?

donair in British English (dəʊˈnɛə) Canadian. a snack of doner kebab meat, onions, and chopped tomatoes, served with a sweet sauce.

Who owns Donair King?

Nicholas Nahas
But Nicholas Nahas, owner of King of Donair, says the franchise has already opened a store in Edmonton, with more to follow elsewhere in Alberta, as well as in B.C. and the other Prairie provinces.

What’s donair meat made of?

Donairs are a meat sandwich typically consisting of beef, lamb, or chicken that has been assembled to form a cone-shaped mass, and slowly roasted on a vertical, rotating spit. Thin slices are carved from the outer surface of the meat as it cooks, and typically served on pita bread with a variety of toppings and sauces.

What food is Halifax known for?

The Donair – Halifax’s official food The iconic donair has been infiltrating westward in Canada, but make no mistake its roots are deep in Nova Scotia, Halifax to be exact. In 2015 this saucy, meaty, messy wrap became the official food of Halifax. So, what is it anyway?

The original Döner dates back to the 19th century from the Ottoman Empire. So what does that have to with a Donair from Halifax, Nova Scotia? Well, when Peter Gamoulakos immigrated to Canada in 1959 he tried to sell traditional gyros but the idea of lamb scared the locals away.

Where was the first Donair in Canada?

Peter perfected the Donair recipe in 1973 when he opened King of Donair on Quinpool Road in Halifax, Nova Scotia. King of Donair (KOD) would become the first Donair shop in all of Canada! For over 40 years – students, residents and visitors have come to KOD to experience their very first Donair.

Who invented the donair?

For matters of simplicity and convenience, our donair history starts in Halifax. Wikipedia claims that the modern fast food doner was invented by Mahmut Aygun, a Turkish immigrant in Berlin, in 1971. Velos Pizza, then located in Bedford, invented the “Halifax” donair in the 1971-1973 area.

Where is the original King of Donair located?

The original King of Donair is located in the same building on Quinpool Rd. The chain has four other locations in Nova Scotia. The 2010s saw an expansion into Western Canada, beginning with pop-up shops in Alberta to test for economic viability.