Invented by a Greek immigrant in the 1970s, the Halifax Donair was voted the official food of Halifax in 2015. Photo of Chris Theofilogiannakos sharing his own Halifax Donair recipe courtesy of the Toronto Ward Museum.
Published: May 16, 2017
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Twelve strangers met to share stories of food, migration and travel over smells of simmering foods at the Mackenzie House Museum on April 15. On the menu? A steeping hot bowl of Magiritsa, a Greek Easter soup, Halva, a semolina sweet pudding and Halifax Donair.
Food and museum expert Irina D. Mihalache shares highlights and a recipe from the event, which was part of Dishing Up Toronto (DUT) and organized by the Toronto Ward Museum in partnership with UTSC Culinaria Research Center, U of T’s Faculty of Information, and the City of Toronto Historic Sites. DUT invites residents such as host Chris Theofilogiannakos to tell their stories of migration through food.
“The culinary program started with a tour of the area: on Bond Street, we stopped at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church and at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church and heard about the hurdles of first European migrants to Toronto, as they struggled to be accepted; on the Ryerson University campus, we learned about the education reforms which were not always sympathetic to new comers; and ended the tour in front of the 1918 Anti-Greek Riots plaque at Yonge and Carlton,” says Mihalache.
“The tour was the perfect context for the cooking demonstration to come, as we all walked back to Mackenzie House thinking about food’s significance for migrants in the midst of settling in a new country. The Halifax Donair, one of the dishes we cooked and tasted, is a great example of food’s power to build bridges between different communities.” Invented by a Greek immigrant in the 1970s, the Halifax Donair was voted the official food of Halifax in 2015.
The Halifax Donair (recipe courtesy of Chris Theofilogiannakos):
INGREDIENTS
1 kg ground beef
½ cup fine bread crumbs
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 large onion, grated
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp each salt and pepper
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2/3 cup white sugar
¼ white vinegar
Pita bread
Tomato, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Mix meat, spices, and breadcrumbs thoroughly. Form into a ball and knead, repeat for 10 minutes. Place into greased loaf pan and knead down to remove air. Bake at 300 degrees for 1.5 hours. Once cooked, let meat loaf cool down.
2) Mix milk and sugar well. Once sugar is dissolved, add vinegar and mix until sauce is thick. Chill.
3) Quickly rub both sides of the pita bread under cold water and place on pre-heated skillet with small amount of olive oil. Heat both sides.
4) Cut thinly slices from the meat loaf and heat in a pre-heated oiled pan. Cook meat until crisp or to personal taste, and add to pita bread. Drizzle sauce and top with onions and tomatoes, Wrap in aluminum foil.
Serves: 6-8 people
Cooking time: 110 min