In which country did the souvlaki street food originate? Souvlaki originated in Greece.
Souvlaki is a Greek fast food made from small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer. Pork is especially common in Greece and Cyprus, although chicken, lamb, and other meats are also used. It may be eaten directly from the skewer or served in pita with vegetables, lemon, sauces, and fries.
The food has deep historical roots. Ancient Greek writers, including Homer, Aristophanes, Xenophon, and Aristotle, described meat roasted on spits. The modern word souvlaki is a diminutive related to souvla, meaning a spit, and ultimately traces back to the Latin word subula.
Regional terminology can cause confusion: in Athens and much of southern Greece, the skewered version is commonly called kalamaki, while souvlaki is the more familiar term in northern Greece. Modern souvlaki became widely distributed as Greek street food after World War II and expanded rapidly during the 1960s.