The Ancient Roots of Greek Souvlaki, the First Fast Food
By
Philip Chrysopoulos -
Jul 15, 2018
The word “souvlaki†is synonymous with Greek food, whether the term refers to pieces of grilled meat on a small wooden skewer or the full-meal of pieces of meat inside pita bread along with tomatoes, onions, tzatziki and potatoes.
Many would think that souvlaki is fast food originating from the many years of Ottoman rule, but this is not true. Archaeological findings and writings show that today’s souvlaki comes from the ancient Greeks. After all, the seat of the Ottoman Empire was on land that was Greek in ancient times.
The origins of souvlaki as pieces of meat grilled on a spit date back to ancient Greece. It was known as obeliskos (the diminutive of obelos – spit), mentioned in the works of Aristophanes, Xenophon, Aristotle and others. A meat and bread recipe which resembles the way pita souvlaki is served today with pita bread was also attested by Athenaeus in his “Deipnosophistaeâ€.
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/07/15/the-ancient-roots-of-greek-souvlaki-the-first-fast-food/
