Quote:
Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3
Donair's aren't Turkish, a Donair is Canadian.
Doner Kabab is Turkish.
A Donair has sweet sauce, a Doner Kebab strictly speaking uses a cream as it's sauce. The only real variation between them all is the sauce.
Also, the Doner is way better in Europe, not only is it tastier, but cheaper. When I went on my 90 day Euro trip I had a Doner nearly every day because their so damn cheap, like $3-4 converted and the amount of meat is probably 350g. I want to go back to Europe just for a damn Doner Kebab.
|
If I may pretend to be the arbiter here.
Doner (aka Donair in english) is actually just the name for the way the meat is cooked. Doner is Turkish simply means "it turns."
The type of doner people are talking about here is really just a version that is eaten on-the-go in Turkey. Traditionally it is not served with any type of sauce or what not, but is simply meat, tomato and peppers (see the "Ceyrek Doner" pic from link below) in between some good bread (not pita, but closer to a french baguette). No runny white sauce, no onions.
The good stuff is really Iskender doner. In that, you'll have the shaved meat on a bed of thicker pita squares that were lightly oiled and grilled beforehand. Then atop that is the meat, and atop that a tomato paste / red pepper paste based sauce. Beside this will actually be plain yogurt of the middle eastern style (not runny, but thicker; no cucumbers / garlic a la tzatziki). This will be served on a plate, and is and often garnished by some boiling, melted butter that will be freshly doused atop the plate. Lipitor pills are delivered in lieu of after-dinner mints.
Istanbul Cafe used to make Iskender and it was excellent when I had it. They've since relocated and changed the chef so I can't vouch for it anymore. There is also a small-ish turkish restaurant (Istanbul Restaurant) diagonal across James Fowler High that makes a very good Iskender as well, and will also make a "donair" if you're on the go. It is worth checking out for those who won't rest until they've found the best that Calgary has to offer.
Here is a collection of pictures to make the point.