Kokoretsi

Kokoretsi is a traditional Greek dish, made from entrails roasted on a spit. It is usually served in slices as an appetizer. It is eaten all year round but is particularly favored as an Easter dish.

It even appears in Homer’s epics during the scene where Ulysses’ son, Telemachos, reached Pylos by boat from Ithaca, to learn about his father’s whereabouts from the king of Pylos Nestor, and whether he has survived the Trojan War. Arriving at the beach close to Pylos he meets the King’s soldiers, who are described as roasting something similar to present-day kokoretsi on a spit.

Lengths of lamb entrails, along with pieces of liver and other internal organs wrapped with the intestine are basted with lemon juice and salt while it slowly roasts on a rotating spit. The kokoretsi must be wrapped carefully by the intestines so as to roast without losing its juices. It is typically roasted over coals, but can also be cooked in a clay pot or in the oven.