Here’s a deep, burning question: Is there anything better than homemade, piping-hot pizza? According to journalist and one-time pizzaiola Ivy Knight (@ivyporkchopknight), the answer – at least for Atlantic Canadians – is a resounding yes, and it’s pizza served with garlic fingers and donair sauce.
The marriage of garlic bread and cheese pizza is a Maritime province speciality (a region in Eastern Canada that includes Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island), and the reason these fingers are distinct is twofold: the cut and the sauce. Sure, it may look like a pizza because of its round shape, but it should never be cut like one, i.e., no triangular slices, only thin strips. Once cut, you must serve the fingers with a dipping sauce, though not marinara, ranch, or blue cheese, and certainly not pink sauce. For Canadians, only donair sauce will do.
Inspired by tzatziki (a Greek yoghurt sauce), the donair sauce (and dish) wasn’t invented until the 1970s when Greek brothers Peter and John Gamoulakos opened Velos Pizza in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Ivy’s recipe is a nod to the original, quick to make, and only requires condensed milk, white vinegar and garlic powder. And while it’s fantastic as a dipping sauce for these garlic fingers, it’s also delicious drizzled over a donair pizza.
So the next time you’re feeling extra hungry or indulgent, why not serve garlic fingers and donair sauce alongside your pizza or as a late-night sweet and savoury snack? Cheesy, garlicky, and nearly impossible to stop eating, don’t miss out on this authentic taste of Canada.
Want to learn more about the history of the donair? Check out Ivy’s essay here.
