Irlandos: New page: '''Souvlaki''' (Greek: Σουβλάκι) is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer. It may be served on the ske...

2007-10-23T13:47:42Z

New page: '''Souvlaki''' (Greek: Σουβλάκι) is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer. It may be served on the ske...

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'''Souvlaki''' ([[Modern Greek|Greek]]: Σουβλάκι) is a popular [[Greek cuisine|Greek]] fast food consisting of small pieces of meat 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 chips or pilaf. The meat is traditionally pork in [[Greece]] and [[Cyprus]], or in modern times increasingly chicken. In other countries and for tourists, souvlaki may be made with other meats such as veal, lamb and sometimes fish (especially swordfish).

The word ''souvlaki'' is a diminutive of ''souvla'' (skewer), itself ultimately derived from the Latin ''subula'' (awl).

== History ==

One story says that souvlaki originated from late [[1940s]] to [[1950s]] in [[Piraeus]] from a cook who had arrived from [[Constantinople]]<ref name="hellenic">http://www.hellenicgyros.gr/main_en.cfm?menu_id=1&submenu_id=37</ref>

In the [[1950s]]-[[1960s]] souvlakia were eaten off natural (unprocessed) wooden reed sticks

=== 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 rice, salad, sauce, and [[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 be not.

=== Souvlaki-pita ===
This course consists of souvlaki meat garnished with chips, 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.

=== 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; despite this, it is never ordered as souvlaki to the waiter or server, to avoid confusion.

== External links ==
*[http://www.athensguide.com/souvlaki.html Souvlaki: The Hamburger of Greece] A site describing the various forms of souvlaki, and explaining the variations of its terminology for tourists.

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Greek cuisine]]

Souvlaki - Revision history

Irlandos: New page: '''Souvlaki''' (Greek: Σουβλάκι) is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer. It may be served on the ske...