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Souvlaki (Greek: Σουβλάκι) or souvlakia is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It may be served on the skewer for eating out of hand, in a pita sandwich with garnishes and sauces, or on a dinner plate, often with fried potatoes or pilaf. The meat is traditionally lamb in Greece and Cyprus, or in modern times increasingly pork due to the lower cost. In other countries and for tourists, souvlaki may be made with other meats such as beef, chicken and sometimes fish (especially swordfish).

The terminology of souvlaki and its variants is confusing and inconsistent. Depending on the context, the term 'souvlaki' by itself may refer to any of the variants. In some regions and some restaurants, the name shish kebab is used to denote a particular variant of souvlaki (e.g. with vegetables on the skewer), but it is essentially a synonym.

The word souvlaki is a diminutive of souvla (skewer), itself cognate with the Latin subula.

History

Souvlaki is attested in Greece since antiquity and it was known with the name οβελίσκος (obeliskos), dim. of όβελος (obelos), "spit", mentioned amongst others in the works of Aristophanes ("Acharnians" 1007, "Clouds" 178, "Wasps" 354, "Birds" 388, 672), Xenophon ("Hellenica" HG3.3.7), Aristotle ("Politics" 1324b19), etc. A meat and bread recipe which resembles the way pita souvlaki is served today, with pita bread was also attested by Athenaeus in The Deipnosophists and called the plate kandaulos. However it is likely that the skewed meat, souvlaki-like recipe has existed as a favourite in ancient Greece since at least Archaic times, as the earliest references are attested in Homer.

Kalamaki

Kalamaki (little reed) is a synonym for souvlaki proper in Athens, in order to differientate it from other forms of souvlaki.

For kalamaki, the meat is cubed into 1-inch chunks, marinated overnight in lemon juice and olive oil along with Greek herbs and spices such as oregano and on occasion thyme, etc., in a pinch. Then it is skewered on wooden skewers (the "little reeds"), broiled over charcoal, and generously salted and peppered.

Since in Thessaloniki different terminology is used: the word kalamaki is derided since it is called consistently and properly a souvlaki; a joke suggests that any Athenian visiting Thessaloniki, ask for a kalamaki he will be mockingly given a drinking straw (also called "kalamaki").

Souvlaki-merida

Merida means portion. While souvlaki/kalamaki is eaten plain on hand as a fast food, it is also served as a full plate, served with fried potatoes, vegetables, sauce, and quartered pita bread. Usually it consists of the ingredients of a souvlaki-pita (see below), but laid out on a plate, instead of wrapped together for take-out.

Pita

Pita is a form of unleavened flat round bread with a diameter of approximately 15 cm, used to wrap souvlaki or gyros. It comes pre-baked and will additionally be grilled on the meat drippings just before serving, unless the customer requires that it not be.

Souvlaki-pita

This course consists of souvlaki meat garnished with sliced tomatoes and onions, sauced with tzatziki, and wrapped in a lightly grilled pita. When chicken is used instead of pork meat, tzatziki and onions are replaced with a special sauce and lettuce to be compatible with its taste; Various other garnishes and sauces are possible, including shredded lettuce, paprika, fried potatoes, ketchup, and mustard, though these are considered heretical by purists. It is also called pita-kalamaki. Any of these components may not be included, at the request of the customer. Hungry customers may occasionally request a two-pita wrapping (diplopito) and/or a double meat serving (dikalamo).

In Thessaloniki any pita-wrapped souvlaki is referred to as a "sandwich", with its desired ingredients (meat and its method of preparation, plus each and every condiment) meticulously listed by the customer each time.

Another difference between southern and northern Greece is that "souvlaki ap'ola" (souvlaki "with everything") typically includes tzatziki sauce in Athens, unlike Thessaloniki.

Gyros-pita

Similar to souvlaki pita. The souvlaki is replaced by gyros (kebab usually made of pork or chicken). This is also nicknamed souvlaki in common speech due to its resemblance to the above, and because gyros meat is rotated on a mechanical skewer.

Gyros-merida

Like souvlaki merida, gyros merida is the ingredients of a gyros-pita, served on a plate. Replace kalamaki with gyros. Gyros merida is the only related plate that is never called souvlaki.

Cypriot souvlaki

In Cyprus, souvlaki refers to the small chunks of meat on a skewer, as well as the whole package of it being wrapped up in bread and salad, etc. A large pita is used, and it has a pocket in the middle so it is not wrapped around the meat and salad. This contains lamb, pork or more recently chicken souvlaki and/or sheftalia, with tomatoes and cucumbers and white cabbage mixed within. Lettuce is rarely added, only for tourists. Raw onion and parsley are very popular with souvlakia in Cyprus, as are pickled green chili peppers. Like all grilled meat dishes in Cyprus, souvlakia are always accompanied by fresh lemon halves or quarters, and plain thick yogurt or tzatziki are also popular accompaniments. The meat is cut into slightly larger chunks in Cyprus, and more ingredients are stuffed into the pita. The portion sizes are normal and "reinforced"-ineschimeni. The pita in which souvlakia are served is a little thicker than the flat pita available in other countries.

References

1. Greek Souvlaki (Souvlakia) (Shish-Kebabs)
2. Obeliskos, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus
3. Obelos, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus
4. Homer, "Iliad" 1.465, on Perseus Didital Library
5. Ancient Wine, Patrick E. McGovern
6. Wright, Clifford A. (1999). A Mediterranean Feast. New York: William Morrow. pp. 333.

External links

• Skewered foods
• Greek cuisine
• Meat
• Middle Eastern grilled meats
• Cypriot cuisine