on pronouncing "gyros" (recycled Linguist List posting)

[A. Maberry]

On Thu, 23 Mar 2000, A. Vine wrote:

> I've seen a remarkably similar sandwich in other countries (England, possibly
> Belgium, maybe even parts of Germany) called "doner kebabs," which might account
> for the distribution of the responses to the person on the Linguist list.

Do[umlaut]ner kebap is the Turkish version of a dish that I imagine is
pretty common throughout the Middle East. In Egypt, as best I recall, it
is called "shwarma". It's basically a leg of lamb hung vertically in front
of a fire and roasted as it is spun slowly around. The cooked parts on the
surface are sliced off very thinly and served with some condiments on pita
bread or the local equivalent. I seem to remember that in Turkey you can
also get it served over pilav, if you want--I may be wrong since I haven't
been back to Turkey for far too long.

Allen
maberry at u.washington.edu