Traditional Greek offal dish, Kokoretsi, took 1st place on the list of the best-rated offal dishes in the world

Kokoretsi is a traditional Greek dish consisting of lamb or goat offal that is chopped into tiny pieces and seasoned with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The offal is then skewered, covered with caul fat to keep the pieces in place, and cooked over charcoal.

It is traditionally consumed as an appetizer or meze on Easter Sunday in Greece. Although it is associated with Easter, it can usually be found throughout the year across the country. Kokoretsi is also popular throughout the Balkans, and the dish name comes from the Albanian word kukurec, meaning tripe.
Being an internationally popular dish, kokoretsi is sometimes served as a sandwich on a flatbread, when it is topped with numerous spices and tomatoes, while others like to put it into a baguette with pickles and bell peppers.

One may wonder why Turkish kokoreç is in 4th place - isn't that the same dish? The short answer is no.

Although both are traditional offal dishes cooked on a skewer, they originate from different culinary traditions and have some notable differences.

In Greek cuisine, people use lamb offal such as lungs, kidneys, hearts, and liver, and in Türkiye, they use small and large intestines and sweetbreads without any additional ingredients.

While Turks only use intestines, Greeks fill the intestine with liver, kidney, sweetbread, and spices.

To be fair - it is a dish of the Balkans, embraced by both Turkish and Greek cuisines, each adding its own unique touch based on their culinary traditions. It's not uncommon for similar dishes to be shared among cultures with geographical and historical connections. Rather than focusing on debates about its origin, isn't celebrating and appreciating the wonderful differences that emerge from these cultural variations are more enjoyable and enriching?

Kokoretsi Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• Two suckling lamb offals
• Two suckling lamb caul fat
• Three suckling lamb complete intestines
• 12 g salt per kilo of offal
• 1 g black pepper per kilo of offal

PREPARATION

First factor: the offals of a suckling lamb and the intestines. Cut the offal into medium pieces. Place them inside a vessel, adding the salt and pepper and mix well to spread the seasoning evenly.

Second factor: the rinsing of the intestines. Don’t turn the intestines inside out. Just pass water 3-4 through them. When you turn them inside-out, then, they will be slippery, while at the same time, since their inner side is more sensitive to heat, they will get burned.

Third factor: is the correct wrapping of the kokoretsi. Wrap it right before grilling. Skewering and wrapping from the previous day is a bad tactic because it will drain during the night, resulting in a dry kokoretsi after grilling.

These factors are only referring to the preparation. Now, let’s see the grilling process.

COOKING

Fourth factor: the grilling. Grill at a high temperature from the start. Kokoretsi has many juices, so don’t be afraid of the heat. So, place it very close to the charcoals right from the start.

Fifth factor: is the right time to remove it. Here, a thermometer will help a lot.

It's ready to be removed with an internal temperature of 80°C.

At this grilling stage, grill very close to the charcoals so it can gain colour.

Sixth factor: resting after grilling. After removing it from the grill, wrap it in aluminium foil for 6-7’ to maintain its juices and cool down.

You are now ready to enjoy it with your company! Juicy, tasty, and traditional.

Happy grilling to everyone!