The Kofta also called köfte, kafta, kufta or kufteh (کوفته in Persian) is a family of different preparations made with minced meat (similar in some cases to meatballs) and very common in the Middle East, India and the Balkans.
Features: In its simplest form it comes balls made with minced meat, similar to meatballs, used meat of beef or lamb that is usually mixed with different spices and sometimes with onions chopped. The meat is sometimes mixed with rice, burghul, vegetables, or egg to form a paste that is then roasted. The Koftas are sometimes made with fish or vegetables instead of meat, especially in India. They can be grilled, fried, steamed, poached, or marinated, and can be served with richly spiced sauces. All these variants can be found in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Central Europe, Asia and India. According to a research conducted in 2005 by a food processing company, there are about 291 different types of köfte in Turkey, where it is very popular. Homemade köfte dishes in Turkey generally include old breadcrumbs among their ingredients, and sometimes rice, as in the case of "sulu köfte", or meatballs with sauce (not reduced).
Denominations: • In Arabic language, it is known as kufta' (كفته). • In Iran it is called kufteh (کوفته). • In Turkey, it is called köfte. • In Azerbaijan, it is called küftə. • In Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia, it is called ćufte (ћуфте) (singular ćufta (ћуфтa)). • In Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, it is called kyufteta (кюфтета) (singular kyufte (кюфте)). • In Greece, it is called keftedes (singular keftes). • In Romania, it is called chiftele (singular chiftea). • In Armenia, it is called kyufta (singular is identical to the plural). • In Albania, it is called qofte. • In India, it is called kofta. • In Pakistan, it is called kofte. • In Lebanon, it is called kafta.
