The history of the gyro is a little bit unknown. Greeks are credited with creating the first gyros, with some inspiration from Turkey and the Middle East. When American tourists began to discover the dish, they brought it home and began to mass produce it in New York some time in the 70s.  Gyro in Greek means “to turn”, which makes sense because traditional gyro meat is packed onto a large, rotating skewer or spit and cooked vertically over high heat on a rotisserie grill. Many cooks will place a piece of fat or grease at the top of the skewer, sending grease down the entire cone as the meat cooks to keep it moist and juicy and add flavor. When a sandwich is ordered, the gyros meat is sliced off in thin pieces, directly onto a soft pita.  It’s still a popular dish in Greece and can be found in street vendor carts in large cities there like Athens. A similar dish, called a doner, can be found in the neighboring country of Turkey. The gyro is essentially Greek fast food.