Mr. Donair
Once upon a time there were two brothers, Peter and John who immigrated to Canada. They had a love for the Gyro from their homeland so they opened a shop in Bedford in 1967 so they could share their love of the Gyro with Haligonians.
This recipe traditionally served on a pita with Tzatziki sauce wasn't quite right for the folks of Halifax so John created the Donair Sauce we know today and Peter tweaked the meat recipe. This was a huge hit and the legend began.
The name "Donair" is said to have been made up by John when someone asked John what the new dish was called. He looked at the meat rotisserie machine for the cone which had "DONER" printed on it and said "Doner". From that point on the former traditional Gyro had born the legend of Donair. John went on to become THE MR. DONAIR and went on to open Mr. Donair Ltd. a supplier of donair products for pizza and restaurant customers.
Peter went on to open PG pizzeria on Herring Cove Rd. Peter passed away in the early '90s of a heart attack.
John just recently retired and sold Mr. Donair to Tony's Meats in Antigonish in 2007.
The Mr. Donair success story continues as Mr. Donair products can be found in many locations across Canada.
How to make an authentic Mr. Donair Pita.
It all starts with meat! And only the Original Mr. Donair will do.
- Take meat slices and place in a heated frying pan and cook on med-hi heat for 2-3 minutes or until meat is crispy.
- Take your favourite pita bread and slightly wet it, then place in lightly oiled pan and cook it until soft on medium heat.
- Cover your warmed Pita in the Original Mr. Donair sauce by spreading a thin layer across one side of the pita.
- Take about 100g of heated meat slices and place in the centre of the pita and cover generously with Mr. Donair Sauce.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO SQUEEZE!
- Top off your Donair with a heaping spoonful of chopped white onions and fresh tomatoes.
- You can serve this open face or you can roll your pita for a more traditional sandwich.
