Grill Stand · Skewered Meat

Souvlaki (Σουβλάκι)

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The grilling method is Bronze Age old, but souvlaki as cheap grab-and-go street food is surprisingly recent — it only spread widely after the 1960s.

Souvlaki is small pieces of pork or chicken grilled on a skewer, usually wrapped in warm pita with tomato, onion, and tzatziki, or served plain off the stick. Grill stands sell it fast and cheap, making it Greece's default lunch on the move.

Why it's made this way: Skewer-grilling is ancient in Greece — stone cooking supports found on Santorini predate the 17th century BC — but today's fast, cheap street version only took hold after the Second World War, when vendors began selling it widely in the 1960s.