Kleftiko

Kleftiko (Greek: kλέφτικο, pronounced [ˈkleftiko]) is a traditional Greek dish of slow-roasted marinated lamb, most often cooked and served with potatoes. Bell peppers, onions, and cheese can also be added.^[1]

Kleftiko with potatoes

The name of the dish derives from klephts, who were a group of Greek brigands or militiamen during the period of Ottoman rule over Greece between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries. Both words, kleftiko and klephts, are cognates with kleptomania and kleptocracy and are derived with the same old Greek root κλέπτω, meaning "to steal".^[2] The klephts cooked the meat on coals in a covered hole or underground pit to avoid detection.^[3] The current recipes describe kleftiko as lamb cooked in the oven wrapped in parchment paper.^[4]

Apart from Greece, kleftiko is a very popular dish in Cypriot cuisine. in 2019, UNESCO included kleftiko in the register of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Cyprus.^[5]