The donair – a pita sandwich stuffed with beef, tomatoes, onions and sauce – is a hugely popular food in Canada with iterations in egg rolls, poutine and even beer. Not to be confused with its much more famous cousin, the Doner, the donair is sought-after now – both in Canada and worldwide. It wasn't invented until the 1970s, when Greek brothers Peter and John Gamoulakos opened a pizza shop in Bedford, Nova Scotia.
To appeal to Canadian taste, Peter invented a version of a Greek gyro – vertical spit-roasted meat served in a pita with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki, a yogurt sauce – but with beef and a condensed milk sauce. The name may originate from the spit roasting machine the brothers used (the Don-Air), or possibly doner, after the previously mentioned Turkish dish. To say it was a hit is an understatement: in 2015, the donair became the official food of Halifax.
Here, journalist, former restaurant cook and one-time pizzaiola Ivy Knight (@ivyporkchopknight) marries the best of Canadian legends King of Donair and Nimrod’s versions to create this quintessential pizza. A classic pizza dough base is topped with mozzarella, tomatoes, onions and thinly sliced donair meat (a mix of ground beef and lamb). For a savoury twist, the crust is dusted with za’atar – a Middle Eastern spice mixture that includes thyme, marjoram, sumac and toasted sesame seeds – and the pizza is then drizzled with sweet donair sauce. Unusual? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely.
Want to learn more about the history of the donair? Check out Ivy’s essay here.
