Souvlaki and gyros are the most famous street foods in Greece. Even if we consume them very often in this country, most people do not know its origins. I will try to present you a few information about souvlaki, so everytime you taste it you will remember its long history!
Souvlaki is one of the most popular delicacies of Greek gastronomy, its recipe has its routes in antiquity. The first reference we have about souvlaki, is in Homer's heroic poems, where Achilleas is been described to roast on burning coals pieces of meat. Another source is the book "Dipnosophiste" which was written by Athineos, who was a Greek biologist and gastronomist. Also Igisipos in his cooking guide which he named "Opsartitiko" he refers to a dish which was named "Kandavlos" and was made of pieces of meat, cheese, pita bread, dill and was served with a sauce. In roman manuscripts of the 1rst cent. A.D.we have references about souvlaki made of guts, and many years later in Istanbul, about vendors selling souvlaki with pita bread in the streets. During the decade of 1940 souvlaki became
popular in the refugee's neighborhoods, such as "Koridallos" and in Piraeus a refugee from Istanbul made in 1950 the first wrapped souvlaki with kebab.
The most classic form of souvlaki is roasted pieces of pork, which are skewered in a small wooden spit, it is usually served with a piece of bread or a pita bread cut in four pieces. It can also be prepared with chicken meat (which can be combined with bacon) beef meat, also from a combination of lamb and beef meat (kebab) from burger or sausage. Souvlaki is also served with pita bread, wrapped in it, with potatoes, tomato, onion, parsley, tzatziki or sauce and paprika. In modern Greek cuisine souvlaki is also made of roasted vegetables.