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Traditional Turkish Kofte (Meatballs) Recipe

Kofta is a very traditional dish that is enjoyed by everyone, whether children or adults. It is also very practical to prepare for many dishes. Especially the fact that it can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator makes dry meatballs the savior of emergencies. Next to it, bulgur pilaf, rice pilaf, noodles, pasta... In short, anything goes.

I don't know if it's a childhood habit, but I make meatballs with pasta, or even more spaghetti. You know, meatballs and pasta are children's favorite food, I guess this habit has not changed at my age.

As I know better than myself, I usually make this menu when I have guests with children. Children adore them. For this reason, guests whose children eat their meals without any problems also have a good time.

Enjoy the recipe...

Traditional Turkish Kofte (Meatballs) Recipe with Video

Ingredients.

• 500g of ground beef / lamb,
• 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs,
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper,
• 2 teaspoons of cumin,
• 1 handful of chopped parsley,
• Vegetable oil.

Preparation

• Add the grated onion, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and spices into the ground meat and stir well with your hands until you get a homogeneous mixture,
• Make round patties out of the mixture and press with your palm to flatten them,
• Heat vegetable oil in a large pan,
• Shallow-fry the patties on both sides.

Bon appétit...

• Kevser : Thank you Sherien, your comment made my day. Best regards... August 21, 2014 1:59 pm
• Kevser : Thank you for the comment and good luck with the Turkish cuisine... January 28, 2018 6:31 pm

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Pasha’s Kofta Recipe: Easy & Homemade (Hasan Paşa Köftesi)

This Pasha’s Kofta Recipe serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 slices day-old white bread, crusts removed  
• 900 gr lean ground lamb or beef
• 1 small onion, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon red pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Salt and black pepper

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes Ingredients

• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• ½ cup grated kasseri cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 cups lamb stock or water
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• Heat the oven to 180°C.
• To make the kofta: soak the bread in cold water briefly and squeeze out the excess water. Combine the lamb or beef, bread, onion, garlic, parsley, eggs, Turkish red pepper, paprika, and cumin in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Moisten you hands and mix the ingredients for about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• To make the mashed potatoes, heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan until it is just warm. Set this mixture aside and keep it warm. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover them with lightly salted water. Bring the pan to a boil over high heat, lower the heat to medium, and cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes, or until they’re tender. Make sure they do not overcook. Drain them well.
• Place the butter and garlic in a saucepan set over low heat, stirring for about 1 minute, until the butter has melted. Add the potatoes and the warm milk-and-cream mixture. Season with salt and white pepper. Mash the mixture with a potato masher for about 1 minute until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.
• Using moistened hands, divide the chilled meat mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a round ball. Flatten each one slightly and make a well in the center of each one. Arrange the koftas in an ovenproof baking dish. Place equal amounts of the creamy garlic mashed potatoes in the center well of each one. Sprinkle with kasseri cheese.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and stir in the tomato paste. Add the tomatoes and stock, bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The sauce will reduce a bit. Pour this sauce around the koftas—do not pour sauce over the potatoes. Bake, uncovered, for about 35 minutes, or until the top of the potatoes is lightly browned.
• Arrange the koftas in the center of warmed plates. Spoon the sauce around them and sprinkle them with parsley. Serve at once.

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July 29, 2020 by Amélie Leave a Comment

• Pinterest 14

A plate of tender koftes, now this hits the spot! You won’t find anything more comforting than meatballs, still warm from the frying pan, accompanied by a big dollop of cold yogurt. Lightly seasoned with cumin and onion, this is Turkish home cooking at its best!

Sure you can find restaurants specialized in koftes (köfte) all over Turkey but, in my opinion, they always taste better prepared by loving hands. If you don’t have a Turkish grandma doting on you, or in my case a loving mother-in-law, this recipe will get you as close to anne köftesi (mother’s meatballs) as possible.

These traditional Turkish meatballs are super tasty and moist and you only need a handful of ingredients. Moreover, the hands-on time is rather short since there is no resting time. You just combine everything, shape the meatballs and fry them!

A CLASSIC FOR TURKISH HOME COOKS

Frying the koftes make them really tender and indulgent but, for a healthier twist, you could cook them in a nonstick pan with a trickle of olive oil. Grilling koftes on the barbecue is also very popular in Turkey during summer and it adds a nice smokey flavor to the meat.

Pairing meat with yogurt might seem unusual but they complement each other beautifully. Between the tasty meatballs and the tangy yogurt, it’s an explosion of flavors! And if you can’t wait to dig in, the cold yogurt will prevent you from burning your mouth (and it’s simply delicious).

I usually make koftes to put in kizartma (big Turkish fry up) or to eat along with pasta with a red pepper paste sauce (salça). I also love eating them with a bulgur pilaf or with a simple salad and slices of fluffy bread! There are so many ways you could enjoy koftes.

Don’t worry if your koftes don’t all look alike. They don’t have to be similar, that’s the charm of homemade food. Every family has their own preferred shape. It can go from elongated to a circle. I guess, mine) are a bit in between. In any case, Turkish meatballs are always flat, unlike the round ‘balls’ you would see in Italian-American cuisine.

A FREEZER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

These koftes freeze very well so don’t be afraid of making a big batch! I usually freeze the meatballs after having cooked them. To freeze them, place the koftes on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and place the tray in the freezer for 2 hours. When the koftes are frozen solid you can place them in a plastic container (or a freezer bag to save space). You can keep them in the freezer for up to 4 months.

To reheat the frozen koftes, first, thaw them overnight in the fridge. Then place them in a single layer on a baking tray or in a baking dish lined with parchment paper and cover with aluminum foil (to keep the meatballs moist). Reheat the koftes in a preheated oven at 150°C (300°F) for 15 minutes or until warm through. My dad’s trick to check if it’s hot enough is to prick a meatball with the blade of a knife and to feel if it’s hot enough with the tip of his tongue.

You can also prepare the koftes in advance. Make the beef mixture, shape the koftes and keep them in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for up to 24h. Don’t wait longer than that before cooking them for food safety reasons.

• Author: Amélie
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 37 minutes
• Yield: 14 meatballs 1 x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Frying
• Cuisine: Turkish

Description

Koftes are traditional Turkish meatballs, lightly seasoned with cumin and onion. They are super tasty and tender and oh so easy to make at home!

Ingredients

• 1 big onion
• 500g ground beef ( 2 ¼ cups / 18 oz )
• 6 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp cumin, heaped
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Turkish (or Greek) yogurt, to serve

Instructions

• Peel the onion, discard the stems and rub the onion against the medium side of a box/cheese grater. Discard most of the onion juice and keep the pulp.
• Place the ground beef in a mixing bowl. Add the grated onion, egg, breadcrumbs and spices.
• Mix together well and knead for 5 min, like you would for bread dough. If you press a bit of mixture in your hands, it should hold its shape. If not, it might be too moist and you should add more breadcrumbs.
• With wet hands, take a small handful of the meat mixture and pat it into a flat elongated meatball, about 1cm thick (½ inch).
• Repeat until you run out of the köfte mixture. You should have about 14 koftes. Place them on a lightly oiled plate.
• Cover the surfaces of a frying pan with 2cm (1 inch) of oil and place over medium-high heat. Wait until the oil reaches 170°C (340°F), or until it’s hot enough to brown a cube of bread in 1min.
• Cook the koftes in 2 to 3 batches, frying them for 2 to 3 min per side or until brown.
• Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Serve the koftes straightaway with cold yogurt on the side.

Any leftover koftes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

• Serving Size: 7 koftes
• Calories: 811

Keywords: turkish meals, köfte, barbecue recipes

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Köfte is one of the most famous, easy to find, and relatively affordable Turkish foods in the country, including Istanbul. It is also tasty and suitable for many palates. As a meat and seasoned food lover, köfte always comes as one of the top Turkish foods I would willingly eat any day. Many foreigners (or perhaps only I) simply define or know Turkish köfte as a patty-like meatball dish grilled during mangal time and eaten with white bread.

Later I realized that I have been eating some menus in different restaurants and cities named köfte which have completely different taste, shape, and even ingredients. After a bit of browsing, I discovered that köfte is actually a meatball dish made of minced meat mixed with seasonings and onion. It is found in many regions from South Asian to Balkan areas. Turkey alone has 291 kinds of köfte. All the köfte I compiled below are only a few variants of Turkish köfte I have eaten and will definitely recommend you to munch on.

Fried food never lies, it always has that distinct goodness and temptation to break your commitment of eating only healthy, non-fat food. But whatever, this fried meze made of bulgur, ground meat, minced onion stuffed with more ground meat seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and other herbs is just something you should try at least once in your life time. Usually içli köfte is sold per piece in Gaziantep, Adana, or Hatay restaurants all over the country, but it is also often found as part of the menus in many Balkan restaurants and various eateries.

As someone who comes from Indonesia, a country with Spice Island, I had a different opinion compared to my European friends about Turkish food. Although the food was different and exceptionally good, it was not until I found çiğ köfte that I felt so lucky coming to Istanbul. Çiğ köfte is a product of Şanlıurfa cuisine, a province in South-eastern Turkey, and some other nearby provinces. There are two kinds of çiğ köfte, with and without meat. The basic ingredients usually consist of bulgur, raw meat (for the meat-based çiğ köfte), onions, scallions, parsley, Urfa pepper, olive oil, and salça (Turkish sun-dried tomato sauce), but different ingredients and spices might be used in different areas.

The dish is served with juice of lemon, lettuce, parsley, and sometimes slices of tomato where you can wrap them together with lavaş (pita bread). The dish also comes with pomegranate sauce for sour kick and chili sauce for a spicier sensation. Normally accompanied with ayran , çiğ köfte is eaten as meze , appetizer or even late night snack (that’s how I eat it!).

İnegöl Köftesi

This particular köfte is, as the name suggests, originated from İnegöl, a district of Bursa. It is said that İnegöl köftesi was created by a Turkish person from the Balkans in the 19th century. This köfte is made of minced lamb, onion, salt, and sodium bicarbonate in specific proportion. The mixture is kneaded, left in the fridge for around 3 hours, and cooked on a grill. One distinct characteristic of İnegöl köftesi is that the meat mixture does not have any seasonings and it weighs about 12 grams. Unlike içli köfte and çiğ köfte that are classified as starters, İnegöl köftesi is a main course.

Akçaabat Köftesi

This variant of Turkish köfte is what I believe to be the very first köfte I have ever had, and whose recipe is often shared among English-based blogs and websites. If I am not mistaken, this köfte is the number one köfte available in many touristic places, although the authenticity is not always guaranteed since the meat used in the real Akçaabat köftesi comes from the district with the same name in Trabzon. The meat is rested for 24 hours, all the muscles are removed and the bones are cleaned up. After that the meat is grounded and mixed with breadcrumbs, garlic, vegetable or olive oil, and salt. The mixture needs to be left for an hour, mixed again, shaped with the weight around 33 grams, and rested around 2 hours. After that, it is ready to be grilled over hot charcoal. Akçaabat köfte is served with roasted tomatoes, fries, chopped onion, sometimes also piyaz and bulgur .

Mercimekli Köfte

So far I have been mentioning only meat-based köftes with the exception of one variant of non-meat çiğ köfte which might come out as too spicy for some. My Turkish mother-in-law, for example, does not eat çiğ köfte at all because of that very same reason. So here is mercimekli köfte or red lentil köfte. Mercimekli köfte is the only köfte that has no meat at all, and is definitely suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets.

According to a Turkish newspaper , the origin of this köfte is Gaziantep. It is made of red lentil, bulgur, salça, scallion, onion, parsley, and spices like black pepper, chili flakes, and cumin. Mercimekli köfte is usually eaten cold as a meze. Just like çiğ köfte, mercimekli köfte is usually served with lettuce and lemon, although some places also sell it plain without any garnishes. Mercimekli köfte tastes good either way it is served.

Besides five köftes I have explained, there are many more kinds of köftes all around Turkey such as Tekirdağ köftesi, sulu köfte, satır köfte, Salihli odun köftesi, kadınbudu köfte, Izmir köfte, cızbız köfte, kasap köfte, tükürük köftesi (this one means saliva köfte-yikes!), sucuk köfte, göce köftesi, Yalıköy Köftesi, Tire Köftesi, Adapazarı Islama Köftesi, and Sultanahmet köftesi and many more. Have fun tasting the Turkish Köfte and discovering the köfte heaven, Turkey!

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Traditional Turkish Beef Kofta Recipe: How To Make Turkey’s Most Famous Street Food

This Turkish beef Kofta recipe walks you step-by-step through how to make one of the most popular Middle-Eastern street foods.

Turkish Kofta, or “Kofte,” as it’s sometimes called, is one of the most popular foods to eat across the Middle East. Whether you’re traveling through Morocco , Iran, or Turkiye , kofte can be found sold by street vendors, casual restaurants, and cafes nearly everywhere.

This traditional Turkish beef Kofta recipe has been put crafted from my favorite Kofta recipes from travels across the Middle East from Jordan to Egypt. Beef Kofta is one of my go-to dishes while in the Middle East, this delightful street food can be found just about everywhere, usually grilled over charcoal in an alley or on a street corner.

Whether it’s made into a beef Kofta kebab, served with crisp and fluffy pide bread , or served with a side of potatoes, this Turkish Kofta recipe is a favorite for parties, casual dinners, or just to reminisce about past travels in the Middle East. Kofta is usually loaded up with fresh parsley, onion, garlic, and cumin and it’s a hit every time.

So it’s time to get grilling with my favorite beef Kofta recipe.

How To Make Turkish Beef Kofta

Beef Kofta is very versatile and can be served in many different ways. You can shape it into meatballs, skewer it and serve Kofta kebabs, or stuff them into pitas. Kofta is pretty easy to prepare, in fact, the whole process involves just four major steps.

Mix the beef, onion, herbs, and spices ( a similar mixture to what goes into traditional Turkish ravioli ), press the mixture into the desired shape, and then cook over a grill (preferably charcoal for flavor), and then serve the beef Kofta with your favorite dipping sauce such as hummus, tzatziki, either on its own or on pita bread.

Turkish Beef Kofta Ingredients

Turkish Beef Kofta is traditionally made with either beef, lamb, or a combination of the two types of meat. It’s rare to find two beef Kofta recipes that are exactly the same, as the ingredients often change based on personal preference, but the traditional beef Kofta recipe uses these ingredients as the base:

• beef, lamb, or a combination of the two

When making beef Kofta from scratch, those who make it all the time usually measure their ingredients by taste. But when I met with a few chefs while exploring where to eat in Istanbul , they all had the same base for making the perfect beef Kofta kebabs.

Traditional Homemade Beef Kofta Recipe

Traditional turkish beef kofta recipe.

This traditional Turkish beef Kofta recipe is packed with Middle-Eastern flavors from parsley, onion, garlic, and cumin and grilled to perfection for the perfect casual dining dish.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of fresh parsley
• 2 lbs. of ground beef (can be substituted for lamb or a combination of both meats)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Using a food processor, mince and combine the onion, garlic, and parsley.
• Using a large bowl, combine meat with chopped herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix ingredients together thoroughly.
• Shape the meat mixture into oblong shapes approximately 3/4 of an inch thick. If you plan on cooking the beef Kofta recipe into skewers, form the meat around the skewers at this stage.
• Cook the beef Kofta or skewers over a charcoal grill, grill, or by pan-frying. As they are cooking, sprinkle the meat with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Cook to an internal temperature of 160 °F- 165 °F.

Turkish beef Kofta is best eaten right away, but it can be stored in a sealed container and reheated to be eating within 3-4 days.

Nutrition Information:

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Whether he's roaming the world in search of adventure or flitting between street vendors and Michelin-star restaurants, Kevin Wagar is constantly in search of culinary sensations in the world's most amazing destinations. Kevin rose to fame as a world-renowned family travel expert through his website Wandering Wagars - Adventure Family Travel before co-founding both Ultimate Ontario and We Explore Canada to share his love for his home country.

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Ingredients

Nutritional information.

Kofte, köfte or, simply said, meatballs are without a doubt one of the most widespread and the most popular traditional dishes in Turkey.

• 500 g minced lamb
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped
• 1 pcs onion grated
• 4 pcs garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• a pinch Black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Olive oil

Kofte, köfte or, simply said, meatballs are without a doubt one of the most widespread traditional dishes in Turkey. Generally, they are made of minced beef or lamb with the addition of different exotic spices.

They are so widespread and well-known that over time they have become a staple food in Turkey. You can often even hear the expression – the original Turkish köfte. Depending on the part of Turkey, they can be found in different shapes, with different spices and made in all sorts of ways. The best known are Kuru köfte, Izmir köfte, Cig kofte which is actually raw meat with lots of spices. According to one study, there are over 290 types of köfte in Turkey today.

However, Köfte is not a common meal in Turkey alone. In fact, they can be found in the cuisines of Central Asia, Pakistan and India, in the entire Middle East, and in the Balkans in Europe. For example, in the countries of former Yugoslavia, they are commonly called cufte. This is more than a clear example of naturalized word köfte.

Köfte is not actually a Turkish word but comes from the Iranian word kufta, which means “to grind” and later became synonymous for meatball. In other words, the köfte originated in Persia or present-day Iran. From there, they have spread around the world.  It is very logical since it is a simple meal that can be quickly prepared and allows the use of different ingredients and variations.

The Ottoman Empire served as a medium, spreading this dish to the world. If we take a closer look at almost all today’s countries that were once part of this powerful empire, kofte is widespread.

Another historical curiosity about the origins of Swedish meatballs . The Swedish Government’s official twitter account recently posted:

“Swedish meatballs are actually based on a recipe of King Charles XII brought home from Turkey in the early 18th century. Let’s stick to the facts! ”

In the midst of historical circumstances, Charles had found refuge in the Ottoman Empire by fleeing from the Russian army. He spent several years there, and in addition to kofte, he brought coffee to Sweden, as well.

Köfte are usually served as a main course, and with it, pilaf rice or fresh tomatoes, cucumbers or other refreshing vegetables can be found.  Apart from the main course, köfte can also be found as an integral part of the mezze. Mezze is another name for the selection of cold and hot appetizers

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Istanbul Trails ~ Your Istanbul Tourist & Expat Travel Guide

Your personal Istanbul city trip & expat guide

14 Turkish Köfte (Meatball) Dishes Worth Trying

in City Trip , Food & Drinks Guide

Köfte is commonly translated as meatballs – but this is selling the Turkish versions a bit short. It is believed that there are 291 different kinds of meatballs ( köfte ) in Turkey. However, originally meatballs came from Iran. They called a mixture of vegetables and eggs covered with meat küfte . Once the Turks got their hands on them, they increased the diversity of the dish enormously and called it köfte . Make sure to eat at least once this Turkish delicacy.

Köfte Ingredients

The diversity comes from a number of sources, such as:

• the minced meat used: lamb or calf
• the onion: grated or chopped
• the cooking style: fried, grilled or baked
• variety and preferences in spices
• type and amount of oil or butter used for frying
• amount of the fat the meat has

Most Common Köfte Dishes

Below you will find the most common meatball dishes ( köfte çeşitleri ) that you can find in Istanbul (or Turkey for that matter).

• Kuru köfte – Kuru means dry because there is no dressing or sauce, just kneaded and pan fried rolls of minced meat, onion, egg, bread (soaked in water and squeezed), parsley, pepper and köfte baharı (spices mixed for meatballs). Cumin and garlic are optional.
• Dalyan köfte – It is prepared as kuru köfte and rolled as a big loaf with carrots, peas and even hard boiled eggs in the center. Baked in the oven and served in slices.
• İzmir köftesi – The kuru köfte and potatoes cooked with tomato sauce in a pot on the stove or in an oven.
• Çiğ köfte – Fatless minced meat kneaded with grinded wheat ( ince bulgur ), onion, tomato or red pepper paste and spices like cumin, paprika, pepper, mint, coriander, cinnamon. This is a raw dish, served with lettuce and is ordered as a starter.
• Şiş köfte – It is prepared as kuru köfte , wrapped around a skewer and grilled (originally on a charcoal fire).
• Harput köftesi – Small balls of kneaded minced meat, wheat, onion, parsley, pepper and sweet basil cooked in a sauce of butter, water, tomato and/or red pepper paste.

İçli Köfte is served with lemon and parsley.

• Mercimek köftesi – Red lentil and grinded wheat kneaded with onion, parsley and tomato paste. Served with rocket or lettuce.
• Izgara köfte – It is prepared as kuru köfte only the egg doesn’t participate in the game and it is grilled.
• İçli köfte – Roasted minced meat, onion and walnut with a coating of wheat, flour, egg and red pepper paste. Generally served as a starter. It looks like a big egg, mostly fried but can be boiled as well.
• İnegöl köftesi – Balls of very thoroughly kneaded minced meat, onion, pepper and sodium bicarbonate are cooked in the oven. To get the taste of the meat, very few spices are used.
• Kadınbudu köfte – Big balls of kneaded roasted minced meat and onions with boiled rice are fried after being dipped in flour and eggs.
• Tekirdağ köftesi – It is prepared as kuru köfte , only the bread is used as dry small pieces.
• Sulu köfte – It is a soup like dish. Small balls of kneaded minced meat, grinded wheat or rice, onion and parsley are cooked in a sauce of butter, tomato paste and water. Some prepare the sauce with small cubes of carrots and potatoes as well.
• Ekşili köfte – It is called terbiyeli köfte , too and prepared as sulu köfte . The difference is the additional sour ( ekşi ) taste. An egg, lemon, yogurt and flour mixture is used to get the sour taste.

Tagged as: Food , Istanbul , Köfte , Meatball , Turkish Food

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Kofta or köfte are walnut-sized fried meatballs, usually made from ground beef or lamb. It is a popular Turkish meze dish that is often prepared for special occasions and cocktail parties, since the meatballs are quite easy to prepare and can be easily consumed with a toothpick. Köfte come in various degrees of spiciness and in numerous forms - from egg-coated and fried kadin budu  to Adana kofte from the south-east of Turkey. In eastern Turkey, the most popular variety is called içli köfte , full of flavor due to large amounts of butter in the filling. Another interesting variety is called cizbiz kofta , one of the most popular street food items in the country, its name coming from the sound which the thin meat patties make when placed on the grill. Whether fried, stewed, drenched in sauce, or grilled, the variations are virtually infinite and every kofta dish pairs well with a glass of turnip juice and fried potatoes on the side.

Kofta or köfte are walnut-sized fried meatballs, usually made from ground beef or lamb. It is a popular Turkish meze dish that is often prepared for special occasions and cocktail parties, since the meatballs are quite easy to prepare and can be easily consumed with a toothpick.

Köfte come in various degrees of spiciness and in numerous forms - from egg-coated and fried kadin budu  to Adana kofte from the south-east of Turkey. In eastern Turkey, the most popular variety is called içli köfte , full of flavor due to large amounts of butter in the filling.

Types of Köfte

İnegöl köfte

İzmir köfte

Kadınbudu köfte

Ekşili köfte

Akçaabat köftesi

Islama köfte

Mercimek köfte

Harput köftesi

Kofta challow

Recipe variations, traditional çiğ köfte, kadınbudu köfte, köfte authentic recipe.

Made with finely minced veal, bulgur, onions, garlic, and select Turkish spices like red pepper flakes, pepper, and tomato paste, the traditional çiğ köfte is the Turkish version of steak tartare. No cooking is required, but the mixture will need a lengthy kneading to get the right texture. The recipe is adapted from the gastronomy book Turkish Cuisine with Timeless Recipes .

WHERE TO EAT The best Köfte in the world (according to food experts)

Develi Kebap

"It's Develi köfte we're after - meatballs of lamb painstakingly ground by hand and grilled to succulent perfection. We try çig köfte, spicy raw lamb wrapped in lettuce. Each meatball is a short essay in texture."

Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta

"It has been serving its slightly rubbery ızgara köfte (grilled meatballs) and bean salad to ultra-loyal locals since 1920, and shows no sign of losing its custom – there's often a queue outside."

Çiğköfteci Ali Usta

"Ali Usta is a institution, famous for his çiğ köfte, a paste made from bulgur wheat and spices, spread across flatbread and eaten with arugula, lettuce, tomato and lemon juice."

Meşhur Filibe Köftecisi

"Family-owned Meşhur Filibe Köftecisi has been serving its delicious köfte since 1893; the only better option is your mother's recipe."

Besler İnegöl Köftecisi

"Some people find İnegöl köfte a little on the chewy side, but, eaten here with a simple salad of white beans and onion, with toasted bread dribbled with oil and with a shot of pomegranate juice to wash it down, it tastes quite heavenly."

Sur Ocakbaşı

"The thing that I really thought was interesting was this cous cous mixture they eat in a lettuce leaf. It had a lot of intense herb and lemon flavors. You put this adobo spicy sauce on it that’s way hotter than anything I am used to. Although it does look like straight raw ground beef (I was assured it was vegetarian) it had such an interesting flavor I ate a few servings of this."

"Enthusiastic locals don't believe you've really been to Trabzon till you've eaten Akçaabat köfte (local meat patties) on Cemilusta's jam-packed meydan terrace."

Köfteci Hüseyin

"The founder, Hüseyin, may have passed on, but his son now operates this favorite little köfte (Turkish meatballs) spot and brings with him the expertise and dedication of his father."

Öz Kilis Kebap Ve Lahmacun Salonu

"The taste was great."

Zübeyir Ocakbaşı

"It’s always nice to eat here and the çiğ köfte (raw meatballs of minced meat, spices and burghul) are all worth mentioning."

Similar Meatballs

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Kubbah summāqīyah

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Meatballs in curry sauce (Boller i karry)

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Turkish Köfte (Meatballs)

Last Updated on November 21, 2023

Köfte  is ground meat (usually lamb or mutton) mixed with crumbled bread, minced onions and spices, shaped into little cylinders and cooked.

The most common form of the dish is  Izgara Köfte , grilled köfte, usually garnished with sliced onions, chopped parsley and a sprinkle of paprika, and served with yogurt and a pile of fresh Turkish sourdough bread.

A good drink to sip while eating  ızgara köfte  is  ayran  (yogurt blended with water and a pinch of salt).

Şiş köfte  is a variant in which the köfte is pressed onto a flat skewer  (şiş)  and grilled. Same stuff, different shape.

Salçalı köfte   is köfte simmered in a savory sauce (usually tomato).

İzmirli köfte  is a vegetable stew with köfte-style meatballs.

Peynirli köfte  is a variant in which cheese is added to the köfte mix, enhancing the flavor.

İnegöl , a town east of  Bursa , is famous for its super-succulent köfte. The succulence comes from an abundance of  fat , which tastes great but is not so good for your arteries.

—by  Tom Brosnahan

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