Shawarma vs. Donair?

[North East Goon]

What's the difference, I am getting confused by all these places popping up? What is better, and where to get? Hell throw in falafels as well, what are they a vegetarian Donair?

[troutman]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma

Shawarma is made by placing strips of meat or marinated chicken on a skewer. Animal fat and an onion or tomato is placed at the top of the stack to provide flavoring. The meat is then roasted slowly on all sides as the skewer rotates in front of or over a flame for a period of several hours (see rotisserie). Traditionally a wood fire is used, but nowadays a gas flame is more common.

The cooked meat is then shaved off the skewer with a large knife, dropping to a circular tray below to be retrieved. Shawarma is most commonly eaten as a fast food, made up into a sandwich with pita bread or rolled up in Arabic lafa (a sweet, fluffy flatbread) together with vegetables and a dressing. Vegetables commonly found in shawarma include cucumber, onion, tomato, lettuce, parsley, pickled turnips, pickled gherkins and cabbage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donair

The meat used for making döner kebabs may be lamb, beef or chicken, but never pork. After the BSE crisis (mad cow disease), even fish was used. Generally a döner kebab sandwich is served with a salad made from shredded lettuce. Usually there is a choice between a hot sauce, a yoghurt sauce containing garlic and a yoghurt sauce containing herbs. Sometimes sheep's cheese (Turkish: beyaz peynir, or "white cheese") can be added.
There are two basic ways of preparing meat for döner kebabs:

• The most common and authentic method is to stack seasoned slices of lean meat onto a vertical skewer in the shape of a cylinder. The stack is cooked by radiant heat from electric elements or gas fired infrared burners. Often fatty meat, tomatoes, and onions are placed at the top of the stack to drip juices over the meat keeping it moist.
• Some cheaper shops serve a combination of seasoned sliced and ground meat cooked on a grilltop as döner kebab. In Germany the amount of ground meat is not allowed to surpass 60% (Berliner Verkehrsauffassung).

A variation on the döner kebab known as a Donair was 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 meat in this version of the döner kebab (Halifax donair, as it is sometimes referred to) is sliced from a loaf cooked on a vertical spit, made from a combination of ground beef, flour or bread crumbs, and various spices, while the sauce is made from evaporated milk, sugar, vinegar, and sometimes garlic. The meat and sauce are served rolled in pita bread with diced tomato and onion. This version is generally so packed with ingredients, that the pita is almost there for ceremonial purposes; the pita of any true Haligonian donair will be so soaked in sauce that attempts to pick it up will be fruitless.
This version of the donair is very popular across Canada, with many fast food pizza restaurants also featuring donairs on the menu.

A very similar variation of the Donair has popped up in Ontario and is called the Shawarma

[troutman]

http://www.gomideast.com/articles/shw1.htm

What is a Shawarma?

Are you talking about Shwarma? Shawerma? Shawrma? Chawerma? Gyros? Gyro? Doner Kebab? Kepap? Sandwish bil hummus?

[North East Goon]

So it's all the same, just differing sauces, is that what you are telling me?

[troutman]

I'm confused too. The name just seems to depend on the region.

[Deelow]

Donairs have donkey meat. Good donkey meat though.

[lazy_programmer]

in a nutshell, shawarma has diced beef and tahini (sesame-seed) sauce, and donairs has ground up beef with spices (similar to a beef smokie in consistency) and sweet sauce.

[BlackEleven]

Here in Montreal the terminology goes as follows:

Shawarma: beef
Shish T'aouk: chicken
Falafel: chic peas

I believe Shawarma/Donair is a pretty interchangeable term. Most cities I've been too use one or the other to mean basically the same thing; I don't know why both are used in Calgary.

[fleudian]

basically yes, it is a sauce thing.

the best ones come from Jimmy's A&As.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Then there's Burrito el pastor which is a Mexican adaption which is becoming popular.

[greyshep]

Awww I was hoping for another epic Oranges vs. Apples thread.

That was great.

[White Doors]

A variation on the döner kebab known as a Donair was 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 meat in this version of the döner kebab (Halifax donair, as it is sometimes referred to) is sliced from a loaf cooked on a vertical spit, made from a combination of ground beef, flour or bread crumbs, and various spices, while the sauce is made from evaporated milk, sugar, vinegar, and sometimes garlic. The meat and sauce are served rolled in pita bread with diced tomato and onion. This version is generally so packed with ingredients, that the pita is almost there for ceremonial purposes; the pita of any true Haligonian donair will be so soaked in sauce that attempts to pick it up will be fruitless.
This version of the donair is very popular across Canada, with many fast food pizza restaurants also featuring donairs on the menu.

Anyone going to the Maritimes has GOT to try King of Donair. Awesome!
There is also a Pizza Delight in Bridlewood (a maritime pizza chain) Their donairs are awesome. Also Amin's Donair on 7th Ave Dowtown that I have mentioned before.

mmmm....

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Donair is a formed meat which sounds like it's made up of varying cuts of meat and perhaps even types. It looks kinda like fruit leather.

Shawarma or Shistouk (Chicken is sometimes called that) is actually strips of meat.

Falafel is indeed vegetarian, made from fava beans and/or chick peas and spices and cooked. This would be used instead of the meat in your pita sandwich.

Not only is the Shawarma a lot more visually appealing, I think it's moister and better tasting. Plus it seems they often offer a greater variety of toppings and vegetables for it. If you're interested in trying it I think the best place in town in Tazza in Bridgeland.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

a Donair is deliciousness on a pita

a Shawarma is a weird eerie food that you don't eat if you can have a donair.

From what I casually notice a shawarma is much lighter in colour (the meat that is) whereas donair has a darker meat to it.

As stated above KOD (King of Donair) has amazing donairs, there's one no pizza corner in Halifax (the world famous pizza corner, where the pizza is absolutely horrid so you etiher have pork on a stick from the guy on the street down a block, or you have a donair). There's a few throughout the city (one in Clayton Park, one on Quinpool Rd etc).

I don't know how the donairs are in Calgary, in Ottawa they're completely different than on the east coast. Donair sauce is also used as a dipping sauce for pizza here. Not sure what's in it, I don't want to know, but it's amazing.

If you've never had a donair, try one, and if outside the Maritimes, find a maritimer to see how close they are to the "real ones" back East.

Ahhh Halifax, where else can you get a donair at 4am on any random night? Moving back there, and I can't wait!

[Daradon]

The sweet donair sauce is usually a mixture of sugar, cream or milk, water, and garlic.

I did hear on a CBC report that the original Donairs came from a town in the martitimes, one shop actually. It was a variation of the Gyro which you can find all over the world. Donairs however have become a Canadian take on this mediterranean food. With so many countries in that area, from Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and so on, there are a ton of different variations. My current favorite place is a place called Pita Stop (I believe) in the mini mall at the corner of Anderson and Elbow. The one in Midnapore Mall is great too.

I have had some at an Iraqi place near Memorial and 28th NE and theirs are different still. All of them are great though.

I remember 20 years ago when I knew of 2 places in the city where you could get them. Now, they are everywhere.

And yes I htink the difference between Shwarma and Donair is just the sauce. Donairs have a sweet sauce, I think Shwarmas have the tahine sauce, like a Gyro.

Gryo are usually made from lamb (or another meat on a kebob) while Doniars and Shwarma are usually that rotissaire beef mix.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

King of Donair (KOD) has on their stores that they were the first Donair in Canada, must have been them.

[RW99]

KOD's Donairs in Halifax = Yummy

Shawarma King's Chicken Shawarma in Ottawa = Yummy

Barpa Bill's Souvlaki in Banff = Yummy

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Ahhh Halifax, where else can you get a donair at 4am on any random night?

Anywhere in Europe, for starters.

[BlackEleven]

Originally Posted by icarus

Anywhere in Europe, for starters.

Add to the list any street conrner in downtown Montreal.