Kleftiko

 ( Greek Cuisine ) 

Kleftiko (, ) is a traditional Greek cuisine of slow-roasted marinated lamb, most often cooked and served with potatoes. Bell peppers, onions, and cheese can also be added.

The name of the dish derives from Klepht, who were a group of Greek Brigandage or Militia during the period of Ottoman Greece between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries. Both words, kleftiko and klephts, are cognates with kleptomania and kleptocracy and are derived with 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 Greece, kleftiko is a very popular dish in Cypriot cuisine. in 2019, UNESCO included kleftiko in the register of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Cyprus.