Rotisserie Cart · Grilled Offal
Kokoretsi
Photo: Alexandros Kostibas (user Akostibas of English Wikipedia) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5
The 'casing' isn't a sausage skin at all — it's lamb intestine wrapped tightly around a bundle of skewered organ meats, which is what gives it its signature crackly exterior.
Seasoned lamb offal (liver, heart, sweetbreads) is bundled onto a long skewer and wrapped in intestine, then slow-turned over charcoal until the outside crisps and the inside stays rich and tender. Sliced and sold from grill carts and tavernas across Athens, especially around festivals.
Why it's made this way: The dish grew out of nose-to-tail necessity around Easter, when a whole lamb was slaughtered for the holiday feast and the organs, needing to be used quickly, were skewered and grilled first while the rest of the animal roasted.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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