Sandwich Sensation: The Halifax Donair

On vacation in New Hampshire last week, I had the opportunity to experience the official food of Halifax, Nova Scotia. What I like about this discovery is that it clearly illustrates how humans adopt and adapt food traditions from other cultures around the world and meld them into their own. Let me present the Halifax donair.

This meaty sandwich is a perfect combination of spicy meat wrapped in a pita pocket slathered with a sweet sauce. In Halifax, it’s a popular late-night snack, and is also especially known as hangover food.

I’ve had a lot of very good food in Canada. Restaurants in Montreal and Vancouver, in particular, offered excellent dishes. But truth be told, Canada as a country is not renowned for its cuisine. When is the last time you said, “Let’s go out for some Canadian?” That said, I must observe that the donair is outstanding, with all the elements you’d want in a good sandwich. The meat is a spicy and dense beef meatloaf, augmented with a lot of herbs and spices: cayenne, oregano, coriander, thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder. And a good donair includes fresh tomatoes and chopped onion, all wrapped in grilled pita bread. But what sets the sandwich off is how the special sauce enhances the flavors.

From Turkey to Greece to Germany to Nova Scotia to …

The history of the Halifax donair goes back to a Greek immigrant. In the 1970s, Peter Gamoulakos tried selling Greek gyros (pitas stuffed with grilled lamb and tzatziki) from his pizza restaurant. What he found was that the gyros didn’t resonate with the “meat and potatoes” palates of Nova Scotians. He and his brother swapped beef for the lamb, whipped up their own sweet “donair sauce,” and tried again. This time, the sandwich took off. And by taking off, I mean that people will reportedly drive miles for a donair.

Going even further back, this localized Halifax sandwich actually owes its heritage to the Turkish doner kebabs. This dish, similar to the Arab Shawarma, is made with seasoned meat – usually lamb or poultry – shaved from a vertical rotisserie in a style that dates back to the Ottoman empire. In the 1920s, it traveled to Greece as the two populations interacted. When the Turks began working in large numbers in Germany in the 1960s, their food followed. The original dish did not suit German tastes, so the vendors dressed it up with a salad of shredded lettuce and a sauce – usually chili, barbecue, or garlic. Meanwhile, the Halifax donair, until recently limited mostly to Atlantic Canada, has become more widely distributed in the country. And it’s becoming more trendy, even featured in some upscale restaurants. You might also find burgers with donair sauce as well as donair pizzas.

But making an authentic Halifax donair isn’t just a matter of putting your meatloaf in a store-bought pita pocket. It’s much more fun than that.

The technique

What you’ll need is some good ground beef that’s 70% meat and 30% fat, along with all the seasonings. Once it’s mixed together, pick the meat up and throw it down with force into a steel mixing bowl 20 or 30 times, kneading it after each time. This is necessary to gain the proper texture for your loaf. Then roll the meat into a round loaf and bake it in an oven at 350 degrees for an hour or a little more. Once cooked, you’ll need to let the loaf cool before slicing. Another key component, the donair sauce, can be made while you’re cooking the beef. That’s a mixture of evaporated or whole milk, sugar, garlic powder, and vinegar that requires slow mixing until it thickens properly. Finally, heat the sliced meat in a frying pan, fry or grill the pita till it’s lightly crisp, and you’re ready. Spread some sauce on the pita and add hot meat, along with chopped onion and tomatoes and maybe a little more sauce. Enjoy! Unused meat can be frozen for future sandwiches.

As for me, one of the best parts of the story is that the restaurant in Campton, N.H., The Covered Bridge, is always looking for new sandwiches to feature. I’m planning to return the next time I’m in the area. As for you, do you have a new sandwich creation you’d like to share?

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