Turks love a good old meaty dish and the very first foods that come to mind when talking about Turkish cuisine are most likely to be of the carnivorous kind, namely döner or any kind of kebab. But köfte is more widely consumed than them by a landslide, and there are many regional variations that date back centuries. Although, technically köftes are "meatballs," Turkish köftes aren't solely made of red or white meat. In fact, in Ottoman times, the classic zucchini fritter "mücver" would be listed alongside lamb meat patties in the Topkapı Palace kitchen's notebooks. It was more about "how" these were prepared rather than the ingredient itself.

With that small culinary history lesson aside, I'll be focusing on the meatier versions of köfte you may find while at a Turkish market or restaurant. This is not a complete list by any means as there are dozens of köfte types across Turkey but the ones listed below are some of the more popular choices. One I did think of that is meat-based but did not feel comfortable sharing the recipe for is the çiğ köfte. Literally meaning "raw köfte," this dish is made with raw meat, spices and bulgur and involves a lot of kneading. The ones you can find basically everywhere nowadays are meat-free thanks to regulations forbidding the commercial preparation of this köfte.

The classic köfte

This title itself will cause quite a ruckus for sure, as the köfte I am referring to here is the one classic homemade kind, or is/was made by your mother, grandmother, aunt or anybody else around the house. Like with many recipes, each family has its own recipe, so I'll share with you our take. To be honest, I usually make it with "göz kararı" and forgo the exact measurements. And another interesting tidbit: Swedish meatballs are based on a Turkish recipe, at least that is what Sweden's official Twitter account said.

Ingredients