Greek dish souvlaki. Souvlaki or Greek barbecue - recipes and features of the most delicious fast food in Greece

It is difficult to find such a resident of Greece who would say that he does not eat souvlaki - the most affordable and adored dish sold here at every turn: in the capital and provinces, cities and villages, on the islands and the mainland.

Everyone in Greece loves souvlaki: rich and poor, schoolchildren and students, professors and clerks, housewives and even prime ministers. And the migrants who settled in the country from different parts of the world liked this delicacy.

And indeed: during a school break or a lunch break, in the evening hours after work or study, while walking around the city or shopping, gathering with friends to watch the game of their favorite football or basketball team, or simply hungry, the inhabitants of the country rush to the nearest local street food (street food), called suvladzidiko (σουβλατζίδικо), to satisfy your hunger with your favorite dish.

Each family carefully stores catalogs and advertising booklets with phone numbers, by which you can choose and order souvlaki at home if the hostess did not have time to cook lunch or dinner, or if friends unexpectedly came to the house for a party.

In any case, you can be sure that the treat will appeal to everyone.

In Greece, it has long been no secret to anyone that many world-famous franchise networks fast food, such as "McDanalds" or "Goodis" suffered a crushing defeat here from small σουβλατζίδικо, offering traditional Greek cuisine, which primarily includes souvlaki.

What kind of treat is this that does not look like either hamburgers, or Bik-Macs with hot dogs, or other “fast food delights”?

Why do the Greeks love it, and not only them, but all those who have tried it at least once in Greece?

What is Greek Souvlaki and where does this dish come from?

Souvlaki (Greek Σουβλάκι) is small kebabs, which are made from pork or chicken meat, less often lamb or beef, cut into medium-sized pieces and aged in a special marinade of olive oil and lemon juice, with the addition of oregano and other aromatic herbs.
They are strung on short wooden skewers - skewers or skewers resembling a long thick toothpick, the so-called souvla (σούβλα), from which the name of this dish came.

Once upon a time, such skewers were made from cane - "kalami" (καλαμι), so the dish has another name - "kalamaki" (καλαμάκι). By the way, in Greece they also call a straw served with soft drinks or various cocktails.

Such kebabs are fried on charcoal or grill, but sometimes they are also cooked in the oven, however, this method is practiced in cases where it is not possible to make an open fire.

But not only the size and method of marinating souvlaki differ from other types of shish kebabs.

There is a difference in the way the finished dish is served:

The first, and the simplest - after frying they are served in portions, straight on skewers with slices of grilled bread and fried french fries. This method of serving is more common in the South of Greece and in the Greek capital. It is in this way that souvlaki served is called “kalamaki”.

Second, and now more popular― the meat removed from the spit is wrapped in “pita” (lavash) and added to it at the request of the client various salads and sauces: , ketchup, mustard sauce, tomato salad with onions, as well as fried potatoes.

Souvlaki wrapped in a pita bread resembles another similar dish, which is called “gyro” here (an analogue of shawarma, well known to many tourists).
But the similarity is only external: the meat is also wrapped in pita. Gyro is a completely different dish both in terms of cooking method and taste.

Souvlaki is not only very tasty, but also economical dish. And, although it is quite high-calorie (460 Kcal with pita), but by eating only one serving, you can satisfy your hunger for a long time.
And the calorie content is not difficult and can be almost halved if you fry the pita without oil and do not add french fries and fatty sauces to the dish.

Thanks to these advantages, souvlaki has been, is and remains a favorite national Greek dish for many centuries.

Don't believe? Here's what history tells us...

Ancient Greeks also ate souvlaki

This fact is easy to confirm!
In 2011, when settlements were excavated on the island bronze age, well preserved under a layer of ash from a volcanic eruption that occurred around 1500 BC. e., among other artifacts, to the surprise of archaeologists, they managed to find an interesting object: stone grill! With holes cut inside it for air circulation, where suvla skewers made of hard wood were inserted.

Now this brazier is on display in the local museum of the city of Fira "Museum of Prehistoric Thera".

Greek archaeologist Christos Dumas, who led the excavations, said that the Greeks ate kebabs fried on coals 3,500 years ago. And this is the main proof that then souvlaki - the most that neither is Greek dish , and not Turkish at all, as many culinary critics claim.

On such grills, not only souvlaki were fried, but also sliced ​​\u200b\u200bin very small pieces meat, with the addition of aromatic herbs, fixed on a spit like minced meat for kebab. And again, we can say that kebab was also invented by ancient Greek culinary specialists, the name of the dish was borrowed much later from the Turks during the Ottoman yoke.

The ancient Greek writer Athenaeus from Navkratis, who lived at the turn of the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. e. in his well-known 15-volume book The Feasting Sophists, he describes in detail the dish called kandavlos (Κάνδαυλος) served in the house of the wealthy scientist and philanthropist Lorenzo at a symposium organized in honor of the philosophers and sages of that time, among whom were such famous people as Galen and Plutarch.
The dish described by Athenaeus almost one to one resembles modern souvlaki- meat taken from small skewers, after roasting it on coals, wrapped in thin bread cake along with cheese and dill.

According to statistics, the Greek dish souvlaki has no serious competitors, they are not even afraid of such a popular dish in the world as sushi!

In the joke that the Hellenes like to repeat that they not only absorbed the love for souvlaki with their mother's milk, but it is embedded in their DNA, there is only a fraction of a joke, and everything else is historical truth.

Souvlaki is a well-known Greek global brand. For tourists coming to Greece, souvlaki have become the same integral symbol of the country as sirtaki, ouzo, feta cheese, and.
Remembering the Greek proverb “A hungry bear does not dance”, we can say: after tasting Greek souvlaki, you will want to dance the incendiary dance “Sirtaki”.

Let's find out how to cook real Greek souvlaki at home.

Classic Greek Souvlaki Recipe

First, let's prepare the pita in which we will wrap our souvlaki.

We will need:

Cooking method

1. Mix yeast with sugar and ½ cup warm water and wait for the yeast to dissolve.
2. Add salt to the sifted flour, make a hole in the center of the flour slide. Pour the dissolved yeast into it, olive oil and ½ cup warm water.
3. Knead the dough, adding warm water as needed until it no longer sticks to your hands and is soft and pliable.
4. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl. After forming a ball out of it, cover the bowl with a clean towel, and let it stand for 1.5 hours so that it infuse and increase in volume.
5. After kneading the dough, form it into round pitas with a diameter of 15 and a thickness of 1 cm.
6. Pita should be baked in the oven at a temperature of 230 °, but not until fully prepared, and only 5~7 min.
7. After the pitas have cooled down, place them in plastic bags and put in freezer to use them when needed.
8. If you need pita, all you have to do is take them out of the freezer and, brushing them with oil on both sides and sprinkling with salt and oregano, fry them on a grill or pan.

For 4 servings of souvlaki, prepare 800 gr. pork tenderloin without veins and tendons, cutting the meat into small, “one bite”, cubes, about 2.5x2.5 cm.

As has been noted more than once, a trip to Greece is not only the sea, the sun and the beach, but also tasty food. Therefore, today we continue our acquaintance with culinary traditions Mediterranean, and next in line we have most popular dish Greek cuisine - Souvlaki. And if Greek salad and Moussaka are predominantly restaurant dishes, then finely chopped Greek shish kebab is sold at any street vendor and is considered a national fast food. It is noteworthy that the competition of Souvlaki in Greece was lost by the products of such giants. food industry like McDonald's, KFC and Burger King. So what is this deliciousness? Let's find out right now!

So, the Greek dish called Souvlaki is a shish kebab very finely chopped and strung on wooden skewers. Souvlaki is traditionally made from pork, but sometimes cooks use other meat products. Therefore, there are souvlaki made from chicken, turkey, lamb or beef. Before sending the dish to the fire, it is kept in a special marinade made from olive oil, lemon juice and spices. Then the "infused" meat is strung on skewers and cooked on the coals of the grill, or spread on a frying pan / baking sheet and fried.

Story

Where and when Souvlaki appeared in Greece, Greek cuisine will not remember exactly. And even for many years there was a culinary dispute between Turkey and Greece for the right to be called the birthplace of barbecue on skewers. But in 2011, an unexpected discovery put an end to this competition. During excavations in the city of Fira ( O. Santorini, Greece) a stone brazier was found with stands for skewers and special slots for air. Thus, as early as 1500 B.C. the Greeks ate Souvlaki cooked on coals!

A little about the title

If we talk about why the Greek kebab is called Souvlaki, then you should pay attention to the "core" of the dish. Greek-style meat is cooked not on long steel skewers, but on small wooden sticks called "Σούβλα" (Suvla). From these skewers, the name of the dish itself came first, and then the designation street cafes. Today, a diner with a sign Σουβλατζίδικо (Suvladzidiko) can be found literally on every corner. By the way, if you remake it in the Russian manner, the expression will be something like this - “Suvlachnaya”.

By the way, kebabs in Greek were cooked on special cane sticks, which were called Καλαμι (Kalami). Since then, this dish has also retained a second name - Kalamaki. However, in modern Greece the term souvlaki is used much more frequently.

Serving methods

Greek kebab is served in two ways. Classic variant: skewers with meat are laid out on a plate, and garnished with french fries, sauces or vegetable salads. So you will be served Souvlaki in a restaurant or a large cafe.

The street serving option is as follows: meat with the addition of various sauces and vegetables is served wrapped in Greek pita bread. The exact composition of the ingredients is not constant, because. formed to the taste of the client. Most often ordered are souvlaki with Tzadiki sauce, ketchup, sweet onion and tomato slices, as well as a small portion french fries. All this is wrapped in Pita (like in pita bread) and it turns out delicious roll reminiscent of shawarma.

By the way, because of this similarity, Souvlaki is sometimes confused with the Greek dish Gyros, which is considered a direct analogue of shawarma. However, the composition of the products and the technology of preparing Gyros differ from Souvlaki, and accordingly the taste of the dish is completely different.

How to cook Greek Souvlaki

hearty and delicious barbecue in Greek it will not be difficult to cook outside of sunny Greece. At the same time, you can add spices to your taste in the recipe or reduce the calorie content of the dish by getting rid of the tortillas and sauces, and instead of pork, for example, cook Souvlaki with chicken or turkey.

And about the secrets of cooking Souvlaki at home according to different recipes We will definitely tell you, but a little later. Now let's focus on traditional way cooking this dish, which has come down to us since ancient Greece.

Ingredients

To begin with, we note that since we cook souvlaki at home and Greek pita It is unlikely that you can buy near the house, then the recipe for Greek kebabs also includes ingredients for baking cakes. Agree, since the method of preparing Souvlaki is classic, then all the ingredients, if possible, should be as Greek as possible. Although, if you don't want to mess around with tortillas, then you can just cook kebabs and serve them with vegetable side dish. But Souvlaki in Pita will impress the invited guests more with its appetizing and unusual look.

So, let's move on to the list of basic products that will be required for cooking Greek kebab. For convenience, we will divide it into 2 parts: ingredients for the meat component, and products for the Greek Pita.

We have decided on the list of products - it remains only to find out how to cook Greek Souvlaki at home.

Classic recipe

The technology for preparing Greek kebab contains several stages. Let's start cooking our pork souvlaki by marinating the meat.

Marinade and meat

1. Squeeze lemon juice into a deep bowl. Add olive oil, soy sauce and white wine to it, stir.
2. Preparing spices. We press the garlic or finely chop it, chop the parsley, pass the onion through a blender. Measure out a teaspoon of oregano and rosemary. Pour all the spices into the marinade, add salt to taste and ground pepper, mix.
3. We wash the meat, cut it in small pieces(cubes 2x2), actually " for one bite».
4. Put the meat in Vacuum package, pour the prepared marinade and send it to the refrigerator overnight. ( If there is no package, you can leave the meat in a bowl, covering it with a lid).

We carry out the next stages of preparation the very next day.

Dough for Pita

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water half a glass), after adding ch.l. Sahara.
2. Sift flour, add salt. We make a hole in the flour pea, where we pour the dissolved yeast, olive oil and the remaining warm water. Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky to your hands. Add a little more water if necessary.
3. Put the prepared dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel and leave to stand for 1.5-2 hours.

While the dough is infused, we will return to our pickled meat.

Roasting kebabs

1. Prepare the skewers by soaking them in water for 15-30 minutes.
2. Thread meat onto skewers.
3. We send our kebab to the grill, grill or fry in a regular frying pan.

The meat is cooked, time to get back to the dough.

We bake cakes (pitas)

1. We knead the settled dough, form balls from it, and roll them into round cakes (1 cm thick and 15 cm in diameter).
2. Bake Pita in the oven (5-7 minutes at a temperature of 230-260 degrees). The main thing is not to overdo the cakes, otherwise they will turn into crackers.
3. Hot pitas are served to the table, and cooled ones can be carefully frozen until the next time. Then it will be enough to fry them in a pan or grill, pre-lubricated with oil and seasoned with salt and oregano for taste.

It remains to remove the meat from the skewers and wrap it in cakes, adding the sauce and garnish. By the way, you can cook a real Greek Tzatziki, which takes literally 15 minutes. Detailed recipe set out on the next page. Also goes well with souvlaki coleslaw, French fries, mustard, ketchup, green salad and so on.

You need to wrap the filling in hot cakes (when they are just cooked), otherwise the pita will cool down and begin to crumble. Also, for convenience, we advise you to tightly wrap the bottom of the “envelope” with paper, then the cake will firmly hold the filling.

Some popular souvlaki recipes

It has already been noted that in addition to the classic Greek pork souvlaki, this dish is prepared with other ingredients. Consider several variations of the classic recipe.

Beef souvlaki in the oven

Souvlaki with vegetables

Due to the taste compatibility, meat is often supplemented with vegetables, so in this recipe both components are combined into one dish.

Ingredients: pork 800 gr., zucchini 1 pc., Cherry tomatoes 300 gr., lemon 1 pc. For the marinade: garlic 2 cloves, dried mint, oregano and thyme 1 tbsp. spoon 1 tbsp wine vinegar, 100 ml olive oil, salt, pepper.

Recipe:

1. We are preparing the marinade. In a bowl, mix oil, vinegar and all spices. Squeeze out the lemon juice last. Mix until smooth.
2. We cut the meat into small cubes, cut the zucchini into circles 1.5 cm thick, leave the Cherry tomatoes whole. We put everything in a deep bowl and pour the marinade, mix. ready mix send for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
3. Thread meat and vegetables onto skewers.
4. Grill over hot charcoal grill until tender (10 minutes).

The food is very appetizing, juicy and rich. So we recommend that you get to know this delicious and quick snack, which can be treated to guests in the summer at the cottage or picnic.

Chicken fillet souvlaki

Chicken souvlaki is also very popular in Greece. The cooking recipe is similar to the classic one, but instead of pork tenderloin, they take 2-3 pieces chicken fillet. And since the chicken is a little dry, the marinade will require 1.5 times more olive oil and lemon juice than pork. Ready meal goes well with fried potatoes, vegetable salads and sauces.

Bon appetit!

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Souvlaki translated from Greek means "small skewers cooked on wooden skewers". Traditionally, pork is used for their preparation, less often chicken, lamb or fish. The meat is cut into small pieces, marinated in a special mixture, then strung on wooden skewers and cooked on open fire or in the oven. They are served to the table either on a skewer or wrapped in pita, like shawarma. Let's talk about how to cook souvlaki at home.

Chicken Souvlaki - Recipe

Ingredients:

For pita:

• flour - 2.5 tbsp.;
• dry yeast - 1 tbsp. spoon;
• salt - 1 teaspoon;
• sugar - 1 teaspoon;
• olive oil - 1 tbsp. spoon;
• warm water - 250 ml.

For the souvlaki:

• chicken meat - 500 g;
• white vinegar- 1 teaspoon;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• olive oil - 1 tbsp. spoon;
• salt - to taste.

Cooking

Souvlaki pita can be bought ready-made in the store, or you can, if you have time, cook it yourself. To do this, pour 100 ml of warm water into a bowl and dissolve dry yeast in it. Then add sugar, mix and leave for 15 minutes. As soon as a magnificent “cap” is formed, pour the yeast into a saucepan, salt to taste, add the remaining water, and gradually add the flour. Knead a homogeneous dough, grease it with olive oil to make it smooth. We wrap the mass in cling film and remove for 1.5 hours in a warm place so that the dough properly approaches and increases in volume by about two times. Then we knead it well, knead it, divide it into small balls and roll it into thin layers. Cover the cakes with a towel and let them rise well. During this time, preheat the oven to 250 degrees. And only when it warms up well, bake our cakes on a dry baking sheet for 5 minutes until barely golden color. They should puff up like balloons.

How to cook souvlaki? Cut the meat into thin strips and properly beat off. Then we transfer it to a bowl in which we will marinate it later, pour seasoning and pour olive oil. Add chopped in half rings onion, vinegar and salt to taste. Marinate the chicken meat for about 3 hours. Then fry it in a dry frying pan, without adding oil, so that it is well browned. Now spread on pita and wrap. Serve ready-made Greek souvlaki with Tzatziki sauce. You can also just marinate the meat, put it on skewers and bake it in the oven.

if you love Greek cuisine and meat, be sure to try making souvlaki! But first find out what it is!

What is this?

Souvlaki is a national Greek dish, which is small skewers on wooden skewers. Most often, pork is used for cooking, but lamb, chicken and even fish are also suitable (fish souvlaki is prepared almost exclusively for tourists).

Cooking is quite simple and does not require special skills. The meat is cut into small pieces, then marinated in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and spices, after which it is strung on small wooden skewers and either grilled or fried on a baking sheet set over the coals. Today, souvlaki is considered something like a Greek fast food and is served in almost all restaurants, cafes and bistros.

How to cook?

How to cook Greek souvlaki? We offer several options.

Pork souvlaki

This recipe is a classic. For cooking you will need:

• 1 kg of pork;
• 1 lemon;
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil;
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano;
• pepper and salt to taste.

Cooking:

1. In a small bowl, mix olive oil with freshly squeezed lemon juice, there, pepper and salt, still mix well again.
2. Wash the pork and cut into small cubes, pour marinade over them and leave for three hours.
3. Now take the skewers, string the pork on them and fry on the coals until fully cooked. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes as the pieces are small.

Chicken

No less delicious souvlaki can be made from chicken. Such a dish, by the way, will turn out to be almost dietary.

Ingredients needed for cooking:

• about 1 kg of chicken fillet or breasts;
• 50 ml of white wine;
• 100 ml of olive oil;
• 50 ml lemon juice;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• ½ teaspoon oregano;
• ½ teaspoon thyme;
• pepper and salt to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the chicken fillet into small cubes about 2x2 centimeters in size.
2. Peel and chop the garlic using a knife, garlic crusher or blender.
3. Prepare the marinade by mixing olive oil, wine, lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.
4. Pour the marinade over the chopped fillet and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
5. String the cubes on wooden skewers and fry the souvlaki on the grill.

Fish

Fish souvlaki is also tasty, light and healthy dish. To prepare it you will need:

• 500 grams of fish fillet;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• zest of one lemon;
• 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil;
• a tablespoon of lemon juice;
• ground pepper;
• half a teaspoon of dry oregano;
• sea ​​salt to taste.

How to cook? It's simple:

1. Separately, it is worth writing about the fish. In general, swordfish are traditionally used in Greece, but you can replace it with some other, but certainly marine (river fish does not have the most nice smell flavor), white, and oily (low-fat can become very dry when fried). So, the fillet needs to be cut into small cubes.
2. Now prepare the marinade. Peel and mince the garlic convenient way. Next, mix it with lemon zest(it should be rubbed on fine grater), lemon juice, oregano, olive oil, sea ​​salt and pepper.
3. Immerse the chopped fish in the marinade and leave for about 20 minutes (the fish may become dry if marinated longer).
4. Now string the pieces on skewers and fry the souvlaki on charcoal or on the grill.

How to apply?

Souvlaki is usually served either directly on skewers with lemon slices and white bread (sometimes the appetizer is combined with salads or other dishes) or in pita along with a filling, the role of which can be played by tomatoes, onions, potatoes, Bell pepper, lettuce leaves. Also included is a sauce, such as ketchup, tzatziki, or mustard.

• Souvlaki can also be cooked on the grill, but then they can turn out quite dry. You can also use the oven, in it the meat will retain juiciness and aroma, but it will not smell like coals.
• Cutting meat so finely is quite difficult, so take sharp knife, it will be much more convenient and easier to work with it.
• Use tender meat, as stringy meat will be dry and tough.
• Olive oil can be replaced with ordinary sunflower oil or some other, but in Greece it is olive oil that is used, and its aroma is unique.
• Be sure to turn the skewers regularly to ensure they cook evenly.
• Some chefs soak the skewers in water for five or ten minutes, which makes them more slippery and also allows the meat or fish to be slightly steamed from the inside during cooking (due to evaporating moisture). But if you are using lean meat, then you can use olive oil instead of water, then the pieces will quickly be removed from the skewers and soaked with oil from the inside.
• Also on skewers, along with fish or meat, you can put onions or vegetables, for example, slices of tomatoes, eggplant rings, bell peppers.

Be sure to try this amazing Greek dish, it's so easy!