Athenian Kalamaki Hoirino se Pita (Καλαμάκι Χοιρινό σε Πίτα)

Athenian kalamaki hoirino se pita is the city's pork skewer folded into bread, not a plate of separate parts. In Athens the word kalamaki means the skewer itself, while in other Greek cities the naming can start an argument before the meat even hits the coals. The region is the dish's surname.

What makes it itself is plain: pork shoulder or neck, oregano, lemon, hot charcoal, warm pita, tomato, onion, and tzatziki. The one method that decides it is leaving some fat on the pork. Lean cubes dry out before they take color, but a little fat bastes the meat as it chars and gives you the sweet edge that belongs in a proper kalamaki.

I keep the marinade short because this is street food, not a Sunday braise. Good olive oil, lemon, oregano, and patience at the grill are enough. Your tomato must taste of tomato, too. The right method on a sad winter tomato still gives a sad pita, so cook this when tomatoes are worth slicing raw.