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The story of “kleftiko”
or the thieves’ dinner
Roughly five hundred
years ago in Greece, a large number of poor farmers were forced to take refuge in the
mountains, fleeing from the Ottoman authorities because they refused to bow to a
foreign occupation or to the whims of wealthy landowners. They couldn’t pay
their taxes or their debts and in order to survive, they would steal a goat or o lamb or else rely on the hospitality of their fellow countrymen, who gave them
food. These hunted men, whose numbers were huge at times, were known as “kleftes”
or thieves, by the authorities.
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In order to cook their food
without being detected by the patrols, they had to hide the smoke from their
cooking fire and the aroma of roasting meat. Nor did their fugitive existence
allow them to remain in the same place for the six or seven hours necessary to
oversee the cooking of their meal. So they used to dig a hollow in the ground,
light a fire in the bottom of it and then cover the embers with branches and
soil. Then they placed the lamb or goat’s meat on top and covered it with more
branches and soil. They slowly roasted the meat in this earth-oven for several
hours with chunks of hard, spicy cheese and the roasted meat gradually took on
the aroma of its covering of bay leaves and carob leaves, as well as the
flavours of oregano and thyme, lemon and wild garlic. Hours later they
returned, uncovered the roast meat and enjoyed their “thieves’ dinner” or “kleftiko”.
In our restaurant,in distant Wales, five
hundred years later, we serve lamb kleftiko wrapped in dark brown
grease-proof paper. We have added mustard seeds, carrots, green peppers,
potatoes and onions for a touch of luxury and voila … ladies and gentlemen,
your kleftiko – succulent, aromatic and delicious. Enjoy it!
