Solving the confusion between shawarma and doner Toronto
By simply looking at the way these snacks are prepared, it is very difficult to determine which is which. Shawarma is basically a meat recipe and served with vegetables and other ingredients. The meat used to make shawarma is roasted on a rotisserie for as long a day. When the meat has been roasted on all sides, it is shaved off, combined with other sauces and wrapped using a thinly-sliced pita bread or served in a platter with steaming rice. Doner Toronto is also prepared in a similar way but its meat is placed on an inverted cone shape on a rotisserie. Everything else in the preparation is similar except that shawarma is served with a mix of ingredients that include tahini, hummus, amba, pickled turnips, etc while doner is served with tomatoes, onions, pickled cucumbers, hot garlic sauce and many more.
Why doner does to be stacked on a vertical spit?
Because the meat is vertical and self basting, it tends to gain a richer flavor. The meat is also properly roasted since it is placed directly opposite the heat source. When the meat is done, it is sliced with a sharp knife while still rotating on the spit so that whatever uncooked portions will be exposed to the fire. Traditional doner is actually made from milk-fed lamb; however, as people became more conscious of their health, chicken became a favorite alternative. In doner Toronto it is not unusual to see two doners rotating side by side, one lamb or beef while the other is chicken. It certainly would not hurt to taste both delicacies to determine which is best based on your specific taste and preferences.
The difference between gyro and doner
Besides their names, there is little difference between gyros and doners. In Turkey and the Arabic world, doner is widely sold using lamb or chicken meat and served on a pide or thick Turkish bread and filled with tomatoes, onions and green salad while gyros are usually served on lavash or Arabic pita bread. Greeks and Arabs prefer adding hot sauce for dressing but all other ingredients used to complement the taste of meat are relatively the same. Sometimes, the way doner and gyros are called depends on the country where it is served but both remain to be a delicious and nutritious meal.