Meatballs

🇷🇺Russia

Kotlety

Котлеты

Kotlety are pan-fried ground-meat patties with bread and onions, served with mashed potatoes or buckwheat.

🇦🇿Azerbaijan

Kufta Bozbash

Küftə bozbaş

A single large lamb meatball with a whole dried plum hidden in its centre, poached in chickpea broth with a potato.

🇮🇷Tabriz, Iran

Kufteh Tabrizi

کوفته تبریزی

A meatball the size of a grapefruit, bound with rice and split peas and stuffed with a boiled egg, dried fruit and walnut, poached in tomato broth.

🇹🇷Turkey

Köfte

The Turkish word for any shaped ground meat preparation, köfte comes in dozens of regional varieties. The most common version blends ground lamb and beef with onion, breadcrumbs, and spices, shaped into small oval patties and grilled over charcoal until juicy.

🇩🇪Germany

Königsberger Klopse

Meatballs in a white caper sauce, a traditional East Prussian dish now popular throughout Germany.

🇱🇦Laos

Lao Meatballs

ລູກຊີ້ນ

Bouncy beef or pork balls threaded on skewers, grilled or boiled and served with a sweet chilli dip.

🇨🇳Jiangsu, China

Lion's Head Meatballs

狮子头

Fist-sized pork meatballs, hand-chopped rather than minced, braised slowly in clear stock with cabbage until they are barely holding together.

🇹🇩Chad

Meatball Sauce

Kanda

Chadian meatball sauce; ground meat shaped into balls and simmered in a tomato-onion sauce; one of the ten most essential Chadian sauces; hearty and family-friendly; served with boule or kissar; a simple, satisfying dish that stretches meat into a full meal.

🇮🇩Indonesia

Meatball Soup

Bakso

Indonesian beef meatballs served in clear broth with noodles, tofu, and condiments, a popular street food.

🇱🇻Latvia

Meatballs

Frikadeles

Seasoned meatballs in white sauce, a comfort food served with potatoes and lingonberry jam.

🇪🇸Andalusia, Spain

Meatballs in Sauce

Albondigas en salsa

Spanish meatballs of beef and pork simmered in a rich tomato-and-sherry or almond-and-saffron sauce, a classic tapa.

🇱🇧Lebanon

Meatballs in Tomato and Pomegranate

داود باشا

Lamb meatballs browned and simmered in a tomato and onion sauce sharpened with pomegranate molasses, served with rice.

🇳🇴Norway

Medisterkaker

Norwegian Christmas meatballs of minced pork with suet, spices, and ginger, served with ribbe or pinnekjøtt. A festive and Christmas staple, savory and aromatic

🇮🇹Milan, Italy

Mondeghili

Milanese meatballs made from leftover boiled meat, mortadella, and liver, breaded and fried. A recycled dish of Milanese tradition.

🇮🇹Italy

Polpette

Italian meatballs of beef and pork, often with garlic, parsley, and Parmigiano, simmered in tomato sauce. In southern Italy they are smaller and served as a secondo.

🇷🇺Russia

Pozharsky Cutlets

Пожарские котлеты

Pozharsky cutlets are breaded chicken or veal patties with butter added for juiciness, associated with Torzhok.

🇲🇩Romanian Moldavia, Moldova

Pârjoale

Pârjoale moldovenești

Flattened patties of minced pork and beef loosened with bread soaked in milk, heavy with dill and garlic, fried until dark and eaten hot or cold.

🇦🇱Albania

Qofte

Herb-packed grilled meatballs made with lamb or beef, mint, oregano, and grated onion, juicy interior with charred crust, a beloved Albanian staple, traditional and versatile.

🇮🇳Jammu and Kashmir, India

Rista

रिस्ता

Minced lamb is rolled into smooth balls and simmered in a vivid Kashmiri chilli and fennel gravy.

🇷🇴Romania

Romanian Meatballs

Chiftele

Flat patties of minced pork with garlic, dill and soaked bread, floured and fried, eaten hot with mustard or cold in a sandwich.

🇪🇸Aragon, Spain

Salt Cod Meatballs

Albóndigas de bacalao

Albóndigas de bacalao are Aragonese salt-cod meatballs bound with egg, garlic, parsley, and breadcrumbs.

🇬🇷Greece

Soutzoukakia

Σουτζουκάκια

Greek oblong meatballs in a rich tomato-wine sauce, spiced with cumin and garlic. A Smyrna (Asia Minor) origin dish, a taverna and home classic, served with bread or rice.

🇸🇪Sweden

Swedish Meatballs

Köttbullar

Iconic Swedish meatballs made from ground beef and pork with breadcrumbs, served with cream gravy and lingonberries.

🇧🇪Charleroi, Belgium

Vitoulet

Vitoulet is a Charleroi meatball with a browned outside and a moist seasoned centre.

🇸🇪Sweden

Wallenbergare

Creamy veal patties made with ground veal, cream, and egg yolks, pan-fried and served with potato purée.

🇹🇷Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey

Çiğ Köfte

Չի քյուֆթա

A spicy mixture of fine bulgur, tomato paste, onion, parsley, and red pepper flakes, traditionally kneaded with raw meat until it binds into small oval shapes. Modern versions are entirely vegetarian, using the same spices and bulgur without meat. Originating in eastern Turkey, it is now a popular street snack nationwide, served wrapped in lettuce with lemon.

🇽🇰Sarajevo, Kosovo

Ćevapi

Sarajevski ćevapi

Small skinless sausages made of minced meat (beef, lamb, pork), grilled and served with flatbread and onions, popular street food.

🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ćufte

Bosnian meatballs of ground beef or lamb mixed with garlic, onion, egg and paprika, simmered in a rich tomato or meat gravy.

🇹🇷Marmara Region, Turkey

İnegöl köfte

A Bursa köfte of lamb and beef, flat and grilled, served with pide.

🇹🇷Aegean Region, Turkey

İzmir köfte

İzmir meatballs: fried köfte baked in a tomato sauce with potatoes.

🇹🇷Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey

İçli Köfte

Bulgur dumplings shaped into small ovals, filled with spiced minced meat, onions, and walnuts, then either deep-fried until crispy or boiled. A specialty of southeastern Turkey, especially Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, içli köfte requires skill to make and is served at special gatherings.