#halifax donair

Do you love Donairs as much as we do? Do you want to get an insight about where and how this superbly delicious food originated? Then you are certainly in the right place. Are you planning to visit Halifax any time soon? Then mark it on your bucket list to visit a pizza shop. This is where you are going to find the city’s most amazing snack popularly referred to as a late night snack: “The Halifax Donairs”.

If you are not native to this place then you might have never had the authentic taste of the Donair. There are a number of pizza corners that serve the best Donairs in Halifax that are smeared with original sauce, onions, perfectly roasted beef all sandwiched in a pita.

History of Donair Donairs are not new and the history of its origin is quite interesting. The Halifax Donair was first invented rather made in 1970 by Peter Gamoulakos who originally belonged to Greece. Firstly he began by selling Greek gyros but the sandwich filling just did not impress the palates of the East Coast people.

So, the brothers tried swapping it with a sweet-savory Donair sauce. However, this time people enjoyed the new dish to a whole new level. The Donairs slowly took all over the place and the signature dish of Halifax was born. The late night snack is so famous in the city that it has been voted by the Halifax city council as the official food of the city.

The lamb filling and the Donair sauce give this food a unique taste which is best known to the people of “Atlantic Coast”. People drive miles to get the best Donair in Halifax, it is that popular!

Today, you won’t find any pizza corner in the city that does not serve the soggy and resplendent late night snack.

So, what is a Donair?

Donair is a quintessential dish best known to people in Halifax. It is well known among the people as a late night snack popularly eaten on the street that is relished by people. The Donair is a blend of sweet and savory flavors. A perfect sloppy snack for meat lovers across the world.

If you are eating Donair for the first time it will surely intimidate you. In a Donair you will find heavy filling of meat, with a blend of spicy grounded beef which is shaped into a perfectly sized loaf. The loafs are roasted, shaved and scorched on a flat top range.  The mix of meat is then placed on a pita and topped with fresh onions and tomatoes. To this mixture, tangy Donair sauce is then added for flavors. The Donair sauce is a sweet sauce that serves best with Donairs. The ingredients that are needed to make it are evaporated milk, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder.

Food and museum expert Irina D. Mihalache shares highlights and a recipe from the event, which was part of Dishing Up Toronto (DUT) and organized by the Toronto Ward Museum in partnership with UTSC Culinaria Research Center, U of T’s Faculty of Information, and the City of Toronto Historic Sites. DUT invites residents such as host Chris Theofilogiannakos to tell their stories of migration through food. Read more.