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Sheftalia: the charcoal favourite

Minced pork wrapped in caul fat — no casing, no shortcuts

Sheftalia looks like a sausage and cooks like one, but there is no casing involved. The mince — pork, finely chopped onion, parsley, salt and pepper — is shaped by hand and wrapped in caul fat, the lacy membrane that lines an animal’s stomach. It is the fat, not a skin, that holds each one together.

Shaped by hand and wrapped in caul fat — no casing, no shortcuts.

Why the caul fat matters

Caul fat is the whole trick. As it hits the heat it renders and melts, keeping the mince moist while the outside catches char — something a dry mince patty could never manage on its own. It also means sheftalia needs almost nothing else: no cinnamon, no heavy spice, just onion and parsley doing the work.

At the grill

Sheftalia turns up wherever the foukou is lit: alongside souvla and halloumi at a Sunday gathering, or as one of the early plates in a meze. It rarely appears alone — it is a supporting dish, not the centrepiece, which is part of why it is so easy to overlook and so missed when it is not there.

Ready for the charcoal, with the souvlaki already turning behind it.

Ask for it in a pitta with salad and a squeeze of lemon, or order it as part of a mixed grill straight from the coals — either way, it is best eaten the moment it comes off the fire.

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