One of Greece’s most famous foods, Gyros have finally been recognized as being Greek. The popular food choice is but one step away now from achieving the Traditional Specialties Guaranteed (TSG) status, based on European Union regulations.
Greece’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food fast-tracked the whole process with representatives of the Association of Greek Meat Processing Industries (SEVEK) having completed the package of documents needed for the certification of gyros as a TSG product.
A huge part of Greek gastronomy, gyros are prepared according to a very specific traditional practice containing certain meats like beef, chicken, lamb, or pork.
The origins of gyros are in Bursa in Turkish from the practice of grilling a vertical spit of stacked meat slices and cutting it off. Called “doner kebab” in Turkey and elsewhere, gyros came to Athens, Greece right after World War II, introduced by immigrants from Anatolia and the Middle East.
According to the news, if the certification procedure goes forward, gyros will be a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG) food product.
It is estimated that the process of national consultation is expected to commence in January 2019 and will last for two months. The completed file will then be sent to the European Commission and it is estimated that after 12-18 months it will be at the final stage for certification at the European level.
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