OlivaWilhite3 at 06:40, 30 April 2026

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{{Short description |Middle Eastern and South Asian meatballs}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=June 2020}}

[[File:Koofteh tabrizi.jpg |thumb |[[Koofteh Tabrizi]] from [[Iranian cuisine |Iran]]]]
'''Kofta''' is a family of [[meatball]] or [[meatloaf]] dishes found in [[South Asian cuisine |South Asian]], [[Central Asian cuisine |Central Asian]], [[Balkan cuisine |Balkan]], [[Middle Eastern cuisine |Middle Eastern]], [[Maghrebi cuisine |North African]], and [[Caucasian cuisine |South Caucasian]] cuisines. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of [[Ground meat |minced meat]]—usually beef, chicken, lamb or mutton, camel, seldom pork, or a mixture—mixed with spices and sometimes other ingredients.<ref name="Ayto1994">{{cite book |last1=Ayto |first1=John |title=A Gourmet's Guide: Food and Drink from A to Z |date=1994 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-280025-1 |page=184 |language=en |quote=In Indian cookery, the term ''kofta'' denotes a spiced meatball, or a similarly shaped mass of chopped fish or vegetable, cooked in a spicy sauce. In Hindi, the word means literally 'pounded meat'.}}</ref> The earliest known recipes are found in early [[Arab world|Arab]] cookbooks,<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Ellen |title=Meatballs : the ultimate cookbook |year=2020 |publisher=Cider Mill Press |isbn=978-1-64643-014-7 |edition=First |location=Kennebunkport, Maine |pages=11 |oclc=1139766078}}</ref> as well as in the [[Byzantine Empire]],<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Koukoules|first=Phaidon I.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0VhoAAAAMAAJ|title=Βυζαντινών βίος και πολιτισμός|date=1952|publisher=Papazisis Publishers|isbn=9789600201413|volume=5|pages=114-115|language=el}}</ref> and call for ground lamb.

There are many national and regional variations, as well as vegetable and uncooked versions. Shapes vary and include balls, patties, and cylinders. Sizes vary from that of a [[golf ball]] to that of an orange.

== Etymology ==

In English, ''kofta'' is a [[loanword]] from the [[Hindustani language |Hindi-Urdu]] कोफ़्ता / {{Nastaliq |کوفتہ}} and [[Persian language |Persian]] {{lang |fa |کوفته}} ''kofta'' meaning ''pounded meat''.<ref name="Ayto1994"/><ref>{{cite web |title=kofta |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/kofta_n?tl=true |publisher=[[Oxford English Dictionary]] |access-date=27 December 2023 |date=2023 |quote=The earliest known use of the noun ''kofta'' is in the 1880s. OED's earliest evidence for kofta is from 1888, in the writing of W. H. Dawe. ''kofta'' is a borrowing from Hindi. Etymons: Hindi ''kofta''.}}</ref><ref>{{cite dictionary |title=kofta |dictionary=[[Concise Oxford English Dictionary]]: Luxury Edition |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sYScAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA790 |date=18 August 2011 |editor-last=Stevenson |editor-first=Angus |edition=12th |page=790 |language=en |isbn=978-0-19-960111-0 |editor2-last=Waite |editor2-first=Maurice |quote=ORIGIN from Urdu and Pers. ''koftah'' 'pounded meat'}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title= Origin of Kofte, Turkish köfte Arabic kufta and Hindi and Urdu koftā all from Persian kōfta (Persian kūfte) from passive participle of kōftan to pound, bray |url=https://www.yourdictionary.com/kofte}}
</ref> The earliest extant use of the word in the Urdu language is attested in [[Mulla Nusrati]]'s ''ʿAlī Nāma'' (1665).<ref>{{cite book |last=Nuṣratī |first=Mullā |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/masnavi-ali-nama-mulla-nusrati-ebooks |url-access=registration |title=ʿAlī Nāma |year=1665 |pages=234 |language=ur |script-title=ur:علی نامہ |quote={{Lang |ur-Latn |Na tha har ġalūla nibolī te kam {{noitalic |/}} Rakhe kofte {{noitalic |[pl.]}} bār golīyāṅ te jam}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite dictionary |url=http://udb.gov.pk/result_details.php?word=191385 |date=June 1993 |orig-date=22 vols pub. 1977–2010 |editor-last=Fatehpuri |editor-first=Farman |editor-link=Farman Fatehpuri |title=kofta |script-title=ur:کوفتہ |dictionary=[[Urdu Lughat |Urdu Lughat (Tareekhi Usool Par)]] ''[Urdu Dictionary on Historical Principles]'' |publisher=Urdu Dictionary Board |volume=15 |language=Urdu}}</ref> It was first used in English in ''[[Qanoon-e-Islam]]'' (1832),<ref>{{cite book |last=Shurreef |first=Jaffur |title=Qanoon-e-Islam |title-link=Qanoon-e-Islam |date=1832 |publisher=[[Parbury, Allen, and Co.]] |location=London, England |page=xxx |language=ur |translator-last=Herklots |translator-first=Gerhard Andreas |script-title=ur:قانونِ اسلام |trans-title=The Customs of the Moosulmans of India; Comprising a Full and Exact Account of Their Various Rites and Ceremonies, from the Moment of Birth Till the Hour of Death |chapter=Appendix |quote=V. Moosulman [Muslim] Cookery, (including the various Dishes alluded to in this Work). 1. Polaoos {{Lang |ur |{{Nastaliq |پلاؤ}}}}. ... {{Lang |ur-Latn |Kofta Polaoo}} {{Lang |ur |{{Nastaliq |کوفتہ پلاؤ}}}}. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ONkAAAAcAAJ&pg=PR30 |quote-pages=xxvii, xxx}}</ref> and then by [[James Wise (civil surgeon) |James Wise]] in 1883.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wise |first=James |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ba8Ov8huExoC&pg=PA97 |title=Notes on the Races, Castes and Trades of Eastern Bengal |date=1883 |publisher=[[Harrison and Sons]] |location=London, England |pages=97 |language=en |chapter=Nán-baí, Roṭi-wálah |quote=[The {{Lang |ur-Latn |Nān-bā{{rhr}}ī}}{{'s}}] bill of fare includes a delicious, richly-flavoured curry, Kofta, or pounded meat, roasts, and puláos. ... Koftá—hashed or pounded, and fried in Ghí. |author-link=James Wise (civil surgeon)}}</ref> The languages of the region of the kofta's origin have adopted the word with minor phonetic variations.<ref name=":8"/> In other languages, similar foods are called croquettes, dumplings, meatballs, rissoles, and turnovers.<ref name=":8"/><ref name=":1">{{cite book |last=Herbst |first=Ron |title=The deluxe food lover's companion |date=2015 |others=Sharon Tyler Herbst |publisher=Barron's |isbn=978-1-4380-7621-8 |edition=2nd |location=Hauppauge, New York |pages=261–262 |oclc=909914756}}</ref>

== History==

The [[Ancient Rome |ancient Roman]] cookbook ''[[Apicius]]'' included many meatball-type recipes.<ref>Sally Grainger, ''Cooking Apicius: Roman Recipes for Today'', Prospect Books, 2006, {{ISBN |1-903018-44-7}}, p. 17-18</ref>

The first appearance of recipes for kofta are in the earliest Arab cookbooks;<ref name=":8">{{cite book |last=Davidson |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Davidson (food writer) |title=[[The Oxford Companion to Food]] |others=Tom Jaine, Soun Vannithone |year=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-967733-7 |edition=3rd |location=New York, NY |page=448 |oclc=890807357}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Kofta were also found in the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref name=":4" /> The earliest recipes are for large ground lamb meatballs triple-glazed in a mixture of [[saffron]] and egg yolk.<ref name=":0"/> This glazing method spread to the West, where it is referred to as "gilding" or "endoring".<ref name=":8"/> Koftas moved to India; according to [[Alan Davidson (food writer) |Alan Davidson]], Nargisi kofta was served at the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] court.<ref name=":8"/>

Koftas are found from the Indian subcontinent through Central Asia, the Middle East, the Balkans, and northern Africa.<ref name=":8"/> Koftas are found in the traditional cuisines of [[Armenian cuisine |Armenia]],<ref name=":7"/><ref name=":6">{{cite web |last=Tsaturyan |first=Ruzanna |date=23 June 2017 |title=A culinary conflict in the South Caucasus |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/culinary-conflict-south-caucasus-karabakh/ |access-date=2021-08-24 |website=[[OpenDemocracy]]}}</ref> [[Afghan cuisine |Afghanistan]],<ref name=":7">{{cite web |last=Dea |first=Cynthia |date=2015-03-09 |title=Where to Find the Best Meatballs in Los Angeles |url=https://www.kcet.org/food-discovery/food/where-to-find-the-best-meatballs-in-los-angeles |access-date=2021-08-24 |website=[[KCET]] |language=en}}</ref> [[Albanian cuisine |Albania]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine |Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Bulgarian cuisine |Bulgaria]],<ref name=":8"/> [[Georgian cuisine |Georgia]],<ref name=":6"/> [[Lebanese cuisine |Lebanon]], [[Palestinian cuisine |Palestine]], [[Syrian cuisine |Syria]], [[Egyptian cuisine |Egypt]],<ref name=":7"/><ref name=":6"/> [[Greek cuisine |Greece]],<ref name=":8"/> [[Indian cuisine |India]],<ref name=":8"/><ref name=":7"/><ref name=":42">{{cite book |last1=Achaya |first1=K. T. |author-link=K. T. Achaya |url=https://archive.org/details/IndianFoodTraditionAHistoricalCompanionAchayaK.T./page/n91 |title=Indian Food Tradition A Historical Companion |date=December 1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0195644166 |pages=54}}</ref> [[Iranian cuisine |Iran]], [[Moroccan cuisine |Morocco]],<ref name=":8"/> [[Pakistani cuisine |Pakistan]],<ref name=":22">{{cite web |last=Fatima |first=Bushra |date=2015-06-30 |title=Pakistanis' love for the succulent kofta curry |url=http://tribune.com.pk/article/28384/pakistanis-love-for-the-succulent-kofta-curry |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710044838/https://tribune.com.pk/article/28384/pakistanis-love-for-the-succulent-kofta-curry |archive-date=10 July 2020 |access-date=2020-07-05 |website=[[The Express Tribune]]}}</ref> [[Romanian cuisine |Romania]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Chiftele: Traditional Meatballs From Romania |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/chiftele |access-date=2021-08-24 |website=[[Atlas Media]]}}</ref> [[Serbian cuisine |Serbia]], [[Macedonian cuisine |North Macedonia]], and [[Turkish cuisine |Turkey]].<ref name=":7"/><ref name=":5">{{cite book |last=Akın |first=Engin |title=Essential Turkish cuisine : 200 recipes for small plates and family meals |publisher=Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams |others=Helen Cathcart |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-61312-871-8 |location=New York |page=67 |oclc=921994379}}</ref> Kofta is also a popular dish among [[Kurdish people]] and [[Assyrian people]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Edelstein |first=Sari |title=Food, Cuisine, and Cultural Competency for Culinary, Hospitality, and Nutrition Professionals |publisher=Jones & Bartlett |year=2010 |isbn=978-1449618117 |page=594 |quote=}}</ref> In [[Turkey]], it is "a preferred offering at communal gatherings of all kinds", according to Engin Akın.<ref name=":5"/> In [[Armenia]] and [[Azerbaijan]], it is, along with [[dolma]], [[lavash]], [[Harissa (dish) |harissa]], [[kebab]]s, and [[Baklava |pahlava]], a dish of "clearly symbolic ethnic significance" often argued over by [[Gastronationalism |gastronationalists]] attempting to claim it as one of their own country's traditional dishes that has been co-opted by the other country.<ref name=":6"/>

== Cooking methods ==

Meat is mixed with spices and often other ingredients such as rice, [[bulgur]], vegetables, or eggs to form a paste.<ref name=":8"/> Often added into the kofta mixture are nuts, cheese, or eggs.<ref>Petrosian, Irina, and David Underwood. Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore. University of California Press, 2006.</ref> 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.<ref name=":8"/> Koftas are sometimes made from [[Fish (food) |fish]] or vegetables or even cottage cheese rather than red meat.<ref>{{cite web |last=Abdel Fattah |first=Iman Adel |title=Bites Fil Beit: Koftet el Gambari – Shrimp kofta |url=http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/12/05/bites-fil-beit-koftet-el-gambari-shrimp-kofta/ |website=Daily News Egypt |access-date=19 April 2015 |date=5 December 2013 |archive-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503022013/http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/12/05/bites-fil-beit-koftet-el-gambari-shrimp-kofta/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Some versions are stuffed with nuts, cheese, or eggs.<ref name=":8"/> Generally the size can vary from the "size of an orange to the size of a golf ball",<ref name=":22"/> although ''tabriz köftesi'', the largest, average {{Convert|20|cm|in|0}} in diameter.<ref name=":8"/> They can be shaped in various forms including [[patties]], balls, or cylinders.<ref>{{cite book |last=Başan |first=Ghillie |title=The Turkish cookbook: exploring the food of a timeless cuisine |year=2021 |publisher=Lorenz Books |isbn=978-0-7548-3515-8 |location=[London] |oclc=1202053063 |pages=93–94 }}</ref> A Levantine version, pronounced ''kafta'' /ˈkɑːftə/, is typically made with minced beef or lamb, mixed with onion, parsley, and spices. It can be shaped into cylinders, patties, or balls, and grilled, baked, or pan-fried, served with sauces, dips, or flatbreads.<ref>Başan, Ghillie (2021). ''Making Levantine Cuisine: Modern Foodways of the Eastern Mediterranean''. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-7548-3515-8.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Levantine Kafta Recipe |url=https://cookpad.com/eng/recipes/8221216 |website=Cookpad |date=22 June 2025 |access-date=30 October 2025}}</ref>

== Variants ==


Variants include {{ill |Arayes |ar |العرايس |es |ʿArāyes}}, a [[Levant]]ine dish made from pita bread that is stuffed with kufta and then grilled.<ref>{{cite news |title=We learned how to make Yafo's arayes in Charlotte — now you can make them, too |url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/charlottefive/c5-food-drink/article311577811.html |access-date=17 September 2025 |work=The Charlotte Observer |date=27 Aug 2025}}</ref> In [[Iranian cuisine]] there are Koofteh Berenji, Koofteh Hamedani, Koofteh Nar, [[Koofteh Tabrizi]] and Koofteh Shirin-e Kermanshahi variants.<ref>{{cite web |title=طرز تهیه کوفته و انواع آن در شهرهای ایران |url=https://www.kojaro.com/2020/8/26/190634/iranian-meatball-recipe/ |website=Kojaro |date=29 August 2020 }}</ref> [[Azerbaijani cuisine]] has [[Tabriz köftesi]], with an unusually large diameter of some {{Convert|20|cm|in|0}}.<ref name=":8"/>

Bulgarian cuisine has [[Tatarsko kyufte]], a [[Tatars in Bulgaria |Tatar]] version.<ref>{{cite web |title=Татарско кюфте |url=https://matekitchen.com/recipes/tatarsko-kyufte/ |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=MateKitchen |language=bg-BG}}</ref>
[[Greek cuisine]] has [[tomatokeftedes]], a vegetarian version with tomatoes,<ref>Aglaia Kremezi and Anissa Hellou, 'What's in the Name of the Dish' in Richard Hosking (ed.), ''Food and Language: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2009'' (London: [[Prospect Books]], 2010) 206</ref> and ''kolokithokeftedes'', with courgettes and feta cheese.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sakellis |first=Eleni |title=Mezedes to enjoy with Greece's favorite spirits |url=https://www.thenationalherald.com/mezedes-to-enjoy-with-greeces-favorite-spirits |work=The National Herald |date=26 June 2020}}</ref> [[Çiğ köfte]] is a [[Turkish cuisine |Turkish]] and [[Armenian cuisine|Armenian]] version made with [[bulgur]] and raw meat.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cetinkaya |first1=Figen |last2=Mus |first2=Tulay Elal |last3=Cibik |first3=Recep |last4=Levent |first4=Belkis |last5=Gulesen |first5=Revasiye |title=Assessment of microbiological quality of cig kofte (raw consumed spiced meatball): Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella |journal=Food Control |date=July 2012 |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=15–18 |doi=10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.01.001 }}</ref>


In the [[South Asian cuisine |Indian subcontinent]], variants include Kofte chawal, with meat or vegetable balls in a [[curry]] sauce, served with rice. Variations use different ingredients for the balls, such as [[paneer]], [[bottle gourd]], [[Chicken as food |chicken]] or [[mutton]].<ref name=":22"/> Other Indian versions are Malai kofta<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/malai-kofta-recipe/ |title=Malai Kofta Recipe |website=Swasthi's Recipes |date=27 August 2017 }}</ref> and [[Nargesi kebab |Nargisi kofta]] with a hard-boiled egg wrapped in the kofta mixture.<ref name=":8"/> Historically, Pishtha meatballs were mentioned in a Sanskrit text on medicine, the ''[[Sushruta Samhita]]''.<ref name=":42"/>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths="175" heights="140">
File:MalaiKofta.jpg |''[[Malai]] kofta'', a dish common in the [[South Asian cuisine |cuisine of the Indian subcontinent]]
File:Koofteh tabrizi.jpg |alt=Three eight-inch meatballs in sauce |[[Iranian cuisine |Iranian]] ''Tabrizi kofta'' include [[Split pea |yellow split peas]] and potatoes, as well as minced meat.
File:Kofte Chawal from India.jpg |alt=Sauced meatballs with rice |''Kofte chawal'' from [[Indian cuisine |India]] (vegetarian kofta made with bottle gourd), served with rice
File:Mixed grill - Khan el-Khalili - Cairo, Egypt.jpg |Egyptian [[koftet el hati]] on a mixed grill platter, served with [[tehina]]
File:Cuisine arménienne - Sini Kofte (à gauche) et deux Mitchougov Kofte (à droite).jpg |Armenian types of kofte
File:Orkh-Oruq.jpg |Orkh, Armenian kofta made with meat and bulgur served in cylindrical shapes
File:NargisiKofta.jpg |[[Nargesi kebab |Nargesi kofta]], a popular dish in [[Lucknow]] and [[Karachi]]
File:Mercimekkoftesi.jpg | [[Mercimek köftesi]], Turkish plant-based kofta made with lentils and bulgur
</gallery>

==See also==

* [[List of meatball dishes]]
* [[Chiftele]] in Romania
* [[Mercimek köftesi]] in Turkey
* [[Ćufte]] in the Balkans
* [[İnegöl köfte]] in Turkey
* [[Islama köfte]] in Turkey
* [[Kibbeh]] in the Middle East
* [[Şiş köfte]], a Turkish kebab-style
* [[Sulu köfte]], a Turkish kofta soup
* [[Koftet el hati]] in Egypt
* [[Koftet rozz]] in Egypt
* [[Ktzitzot Khubeza]] in Israel
* [[Meatball]] in America

==References==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

{{Cuisine of Albania}}
{{Cuisine of Greece}}
{{Cuisine of Egypt}}
{{Cuisine of Iran |bread}}
{{Cuisine of Lebanon}}
{{Curry in the United Kingdom}}
{{Indian dishes}}
{{Levantine cuisine}}
{{Pakistani dishes}}
{{Serbian cuisine}}

[[Category:Urdu words and phrases]]
[[Category:Arab cuisine]]
[[Category:Assyrian cuisine]]
[[Category:Balkan cuisine]]
[[Category:South Asian cuisine]]
[[Category:Central Asian cuisine]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern cuisine]] 
[[Category:Meatballs]]
[[Category:Kofta | ]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern grilled meats]]

[[hu:Török konyha#Húsgombócok]]
[[Category:Byzantine cuisine]]

Kofta - Revision history

OlivaWilhite3 at 06:40, 30 April 2026