The gyro began as a vertical meat spit in 19th-century Ottoman Bursa before reaching America

pop & funWikipedia19th century · Bursa, Ottoman Empire

The gyro began as a vertical meat spit in 19th-century Ottoman Bursa before reaching America

the gist

Stacking meat on a vertical spit and shaving it off as it cooks was developed in Bursa, in the Ottoman Empire, during the nineteenth century. After the 1922 to 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey, Greeks from Asia Minor carried the technique to Greece. The Greek version is usually made with pork and served with tzatziki in a pita. By 1970, gyros were a popular fast food in Athens, Chicago and New York. Vertical rotisseries were mass-produced in the United States in the early 1970s by Chicago companies, though several firms claim to have launched the first mass-produced version. Canada's Halifax donair is a later variation, invented in the 1970s by a Greek immigrant.

so what

The gyro is a case of food traveling with people: a cooking method from the Ottoman world became a Greek street food, then an American one. Its story tracks the migrations that followed the end of the Ottoman Empire.

fun fact

The Halifax donair, a Canadian dish based on the gyro, was invented in the 1970s.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗