Kofta

In English, kofta is a loanword borrowed from Urdu: کوفتہ, romanized: kofta, lit. 'pounded meat' which in turn is derived from Classical Persian koftah, contemporarily kufte.[1][2][3][4] The earliest extant use of the word in the Urdu language is attested from the year 1665 in Mulla Nusrati's ʿAlī Nāma.[5][6] It was first used in English in Qanoon-e-Islam in 1832,[7] and then by James Wise in 1883.[8] The languages of the region of the kofta's origin have adopted the word with minor phonetic variations.[9] Similar foods are called in other languages croquettes, dumplings, meatballs, rissoles, and turnovers.[9][10]

The first appearance of recipes for kofta are in the earliest Arab cookbooks.[11][9] The earliest recipes are for large ground lamb meatballs triple-glazed in a mixture of saffron and egg yolk.[11] This glazing method spread to the West, where it is referred to as "gilding" or "endoring".[9] Koftas moved to India; according to Alan Davidson nargisi kofta were served at the Moghul court.[9]

Koftas are found from the Indian subcontinent through Central Asia, the Middle East, the Balkans, and northern Africa.[9] Koftas are found in the traditional cuisines of Iran, Afghanistan,[12] Albania, Bulgaria,[9] Georgia,[13] Armenia,[12][13] Azerbaijan,[12][13] Greece,[9] India,[9][12][14] Morocco,[9] Pakistan,[15] Romania,[16] and Turkey.[12][17] In Turkey it is "a preferred offering at communal gatherings of all kinds", according to Engin Akin.[17] In Armenia and Azerbaijan it is, along with dolma, lavash, harissa, kebabs, and pahlava, a dish of "clearly symbolic ethnic significance" often argued over by gastronationalists attempting to claim it as one of their own country's traditional dishes that has been co-opted by the other country.[13] Kofta is a popular dish among Assyrian people.[18]

Generally meat is mixed with spices and often other ingredients such as rice, bulgur, vegetables, or eggs to form a paste.[9] They can be grilled, fried, steamed, poached, baked, or marinated, and may be served with a rich spicy sauce or in a soup or stew.[9] Koftas are sometimes made from fish or vegetables rather than red meat.[19] Some versions are stuffed with nuts, cheese, or eggs.[9] Generally the size can vary from the "size of an orange to the size of a golf ball",[20] although some variants are outside that range; tabriz koftesi, which average 20 centimetres (8 in) in diameter, are the largest.[9] They can be shaped in various forms[10] including patties, balls, or cylinders.[21] Some versions are uncooked.[11]

• Chiftele, a Romanian version using ground pork mixed with mashed potatoes
• Çiğ köfte, a Turkish and Armenian version made with bulgur and sometimes raw meat
• İnegöl köfte, a Turkish style
• Islama köfte, a steamed kofta from Turkey
• Kibbeh, a category of dish in Middle Eastern cuisine which includes koftas, sometimes served raw
• Analı kızlı, a Turkish soup
• Kofta curry, having meat or vegetable balls in a curry sauce. There are many variations using different ingredients for the balls, such as kofta curries made with paneer, chicken or mutton; it derives from the Indian subcontinent.[20]
• Koofteh berenji, koofteh hamedani, koofteh nar, koofteh tabrizi and koofteh shirin-e kermanshahi, Iranian variants.[22]
• Nargisi kofta, an Indian dish in which a hard-boiled egg is wrapped in the kofta mixture[9]
• Pishtha, a meatball mentioned in the Sushrutha Samhita[23]
• Şiş köfte, a kebab-style kofta from Turkish cuisine
• Sulu köfte, a Turkish kofta soup or stew
• Tabriz köftesi, an Azerbaijani version unusual for its average diameter of 20 centimetres (8 in)[9]
• Tomatokeftedes, a Greek vegetarian version which uses tomatoes[24]

• 
  Kotlet from Iran
• 
  Iranian Tabrizi kofta include yellow split peas and potatoes as well as minced meat
• 
  Indian vegetable kofta curry served with rice
• 
  Egyptian cigar-shaped kofta in a pita