Meatballs
Çiğ Köfte
Չի քյուֆթա
Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey
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.
Original eatfuls sticker artwork
What it is
A closer look at Çiğ Köfte.
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.
What to look for
Know it when you find it.
Deep red color, small oval shapes, intense spice level, served wrapped in lettuce leaves with lemon squeeze, vegetarian version widely available.
Where it belongs
Origins and
traditions.
Food rarely respects a border. These are the places the dataset connects most strongly to Çiğ Köfte.
Names around the table
One food, more than one name.
Keep exploring
If this caught your eye…
Georgia
Caul-Wrapped Meatballs
Აფხაზურა
Spiced minced pork and beef patties wrapped in caul fat and fried or baked, then served with barberries and pomegranate.
Tunisia
Ain Sbaniouria
عين صبنورية
A Tunisian meat roll of spiced minced meat stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, simmered in a tomato sauce, named 'Spanish eye' for its appearance.
Black Sea Region, Turkey
Akçaabat köftesi
A Black Sea köfte from Akçaabat: minced beef shaped by hand and grilled over charcoal.
Aragon, Spain
Salt Cod Meatballs
Albóndigas de bacalao
Albóndigas de bacalao are Aragonese salt-cod meatballs bound with egg, garlic, parsley, and breadcrumbs.
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.
Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan
Arzuman Kufta
Arzuman küftəsi
Arzuman Kufta is an enormous celebratory Nakhchivan meatball built around a stuffed whole chicken and eggs, made for several people rather than as an everyday kufta.
Aruba
Balchi di Carni
Balchi Carni
Balchi di carni; Aruban meat balls; a traditional snack and side dish; deep-fried; a feature of roadside snack-bars; a staple of Aruban street food
Indonesia
Meatball Soup
Bakso
Indonesian beef meatballs served in clear broth with noodles, tofu, and condiments, a popular street food.