Kleftiko
Greek meat dish
Kleftiko (Greek: κλέφτικο, pronounced [ˈkleftiko]) is a traditional Greek dish of slow-roasted marinated meat dish (traditionally lamb or goat, but also pork) most often cooked en papillote and served with potatoes. Bell peppers, onions, and cheese (usually kefalotyri) can also be added.
The name of the dish derives from klephts, who were a group of Greek guerrillas and outlaws during the period of Ottoman rule over Greece. Both words, kleftiko and klephts, are cognates with kleptomania and kleptocracy and are derived from the same old Greek root κλέπτω, meaning "to steal". The klephts cooked the meat on coals in a covered hole or underground pit to avoid detection. The current recipes describe kleftiko as lamb cooked in the oven wrapped in parchment paper.
Apart from mainland Greece, kleftiko is a very popular dish in the Greek diaspora and in Cyprus. in 2019, UNESCO included kleftiko in the register of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Cyprus.
The public source identifies “Kleftiko” as greek meat dish. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Kleftiko, Greek and meat.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Kleftiko”, the useful work is to connect “greek meat dish” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q56293139. The first chronological checks are 2019.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Kleftiko”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Kleftiko primary sources, Kleftiko archive and Kleftiko research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kleftiko”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Kleftiko” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.