Turkish cuisine can surprise any tourist. Over its centuries-long development, this culture has absorbed the traditions and methods of cooking of different peoples that were once part of the Ottoman Empire.
Interesting fact: in different parts of the country, cuisine and recipes can differ radically.
If notes of Greek and seafood dishes predominate on the territory of the Aegean coast, then the lands of Eastern Turkey have absorbed a mixture of Armenian, Syrian, Georgian and even Kurdish cuisines. Today I want to introduce you to a famous dish throughout the country - chiy kefte.
Chiy kefte: what is it
Turkish çiğ köfte (where çiğ means “raw” and köfte means “meatballs”) is common in the southeast of the country, in the provinces of Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir and Adiyaman. The dish is usually served as an appetizer (meze) in Armenian, Turkish, Kurdish and Persian cuisines. Currently, the number of small eateries is growing, where the main food is çiğ köfte.
Traditionally, çiğ kofte was prepared from raw meat and these cutlets are called etli çiğ köfte (etli çiğ köfte)
.
The ingredients included ground beef mixed with bulgur (wheat), tomato paste, fresh herbs and onions. In southeastern Turkey, hot pepper and pomegranate syrup are also added.
Isot is a Turkish spice made from roasted, crushed Urfa chili peppers.
The sauce has a very dark color and a spicy, smoky taste. The traditional cig kofte is oval rather than round in shape, with the handprint of the creator imprinted on it.
The vegetarian option is called etsiz çiğ köfte (ethsiz chi kofte)
.
History of the dish
In Turkey, there has been a debate for many years regarding where kefte was made. Some say that the dish was first prepared in the city of Adiyaman, others believe that the food was invented in the city of Urfa, which is considered the birthplace of the great prophet Abraham.
These two ils (provinces) are still at war for the primacy of a perfectly tasty dish recipe, so in many cities in Turkey you can see eateries with the name of the cities Urfa or Adiyaman - depending on whose “unique” recipe the owner adheres to.
According to biblical legends, a king named Nimrod lived in the territory of modern southeastern Turkey. During that period, people worshiped various gods and the prophet Abraham tried to enlighten the inhabitants, explaining that there is only one God. King Nimrod hated Abraham, so he ordered to collect all the available wood from the local residents and cut down the trees in the area in order to build a giant bonfire and burn the prophet.
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Then peasants, lacking wood, came up with an original food: they turned raw meat (venison or lamb) into a paste, then mixed it with spices to make the food tasty.
Nowadays, cafes and restaurants usually serve a vegetarian version of cig kofte, as eating raw meat can be risky in Turkey's hot climate. And in 2009, the Ministry of Health even banned the sale of street food that contains raw meat. Instead, chiy kefte uses a mixture made from spices (pepper paste, finely chopped onion and parsley), ground walnuts, vegetables and bulgur.
Some people refused to eat chiy kefte because of the raw meat, considering the food to be unhealthy. However, most Turks believe that the dish is completely safe and healthy - a good Çi köfte cannot spoil if it is served immediately after cooking.
Cig kofte is usually made by men as the preparation requires physical strength during the kneading process. Kneading this recipe is like cooking meat, so for best results the cook must have strong hands and fingers.
Preparing such a traditional snack is a whole ritual. As a rule, two people do this: the first one kneads the bulgur mixture, and the other helps the cook - brings the ingredients and moistens the bulgur with water.
Passers-by watch the process with curiosity, and regular customers sit on chairs outside the cafe and listen to Turkish music, calmly waiting for the aromatic kefte.
How to eat properly
Çiğ Köfte in Lavash
Traditionally, the best way to eat Turkish Çiğ Köfte is to wrap it in a lettuce leaf. Also, raw cutlets are often served along with thin pita bread and a plate of fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, pickles and fresh herbs. The dish is topped with lemon juice or pomegranate syrup. When it comes to drinks, Turks prefer ayran or raki (Turkish vodka).
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Where can you eat a delicious dish in Istanbul?
Numerous establishments in Istanbul offer their visitors to try kefte.
We will provide a list of the best restaurants in the city where you can truly experience the real taste of Turkish cutlets.
- Ali Baba Kofteci .
This is a very famous restaurant where you can order kefte garnished with bright red tomatoes, parsley and onions. The establishment provides the opportunity to take the dish with you; to do this, the waiter needs to say the word “package”. - Gunaydin Et locantasi . One of the best places in Istanbul where, in addition to kefte, you can eat a variety of Turkish food, including sweets, coffee, hamburgers, etc. All dishes can also be wrapped in a bag.
- Hain Kofte . An establishment with a simple and laconic interior and furnishings, where kefte is prepared according to Macedonian recipes. Rice, pickled cucumbers and tomatoes, and sweet peppers are served as side dishes. The restaurant is always clean and the food is incredibly delicious. Lunch can be completed with a semolina dessert. Some visitors don't like simplicity in decor and furnishings.
- Ozcanlar Kefte .
The peculiarity of this establishment is that the minced meat is prepared from the rib part of the animal and is supplemented with onions, garlic, ground black pepper, cumin, bread and salt. We use our own meat from farms in villages in the Tekirdakh region. Kefte is not stored in the refrigerator, but is prepared fresh for each visitor. The recipe for the dish dates back to the 1920s from Turkish emigrants who settled in the Tekirdah region. The restaurant's popularity is quite high in areas of Istanbul to the point that around 300 kg of meat is consumed daily. - Yasu Baba . The restaurant's menu is small: soups, kefte and various desserts. A nice feature is the very reasonable prices for all dishes. Customers leave positive reviews about this establishment, returning to it again and again to try the flavorful meatballs. If you live in the Istinye area, you can count on free home delivery. If you visit this establishment, we recommend ordering the Kemalpashe caramel dessert.
Recipe for kefte without meat
To prepare a Turkish traditional dish you will need some ingredients:
- 2-3 tomatoes;
- 500 g of small dark bulgur (a special small variety of wheat called “keftelik”);
- 2 onions;
- 5 cloves of garlic;
- 50 g walnuts;
- 100 g paprika;
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste;
- 200 g olive oil;
- 5 tablespoons of Turkish isot (crushed hot pepper);
- 1 tablespoon black pepper;
- 1 teaspoon cumin;
- 1 teaspoon salt;
For serving:
- iceberg or romaine lettuce leaves;
- parsley;
- cucumber pickle;
- pickled green chillies;
- lemon;
- pita bread is a traditional serving in local Turkish establishments;
- ayran;
Recipe:
- Rinse the bulgur under cold water in a colander for several minutes. Pour the cereal into a large bowl and add the same amount of boiling water. Mix well, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel for 15-20 minutes until the bulgur is soft.
- Chop the green onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes into large pieces. Place everything in a blender along with walnuts, paprika, tomato paste, olive oil, herbs and spices, mix until a paste forms. If you don't have a blender, you can chop all the ingredients very finely.
- Add this mixture to the bulgur along with the rest of the ingredients. Wearing rubber gloves (to avoid getting burned by the hot spices), mix the mixture vigorously for 10-15 minutes until all ingredients are well mixed.
Helpful tip : From time to time it is necessary to wet your hands with warm water during the kneading process - this helps to easily soften the bulgur. The mixture is ready when it forms a smooth paste.
- Cover the bowl with an airtight seal and set aside for 30 minutes (preferably 5 hours or overnight). The more you hold the çiğ köfte, the better the taste. After this, you need to take a piece of the mixture the size of a walnut and gently squeeze it in your palm to give it a special shape.
- Place the kefte on a plate with romaine lettuce and fresh lemon slices.
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Turkish kofte - juicy cutlets with oriental character
Even if you have never been to Turkey and never entered a Turkish restaurant, it is quite possible that you have tried kofte: after all, the famous meatballs from IKEA - those same Swedish meatballs - are actually Turkish. Not long ago, Sweden admitted this on the country's official Twitter and called for sticking to the facts in this regard: "Swedish meatballs are actually based on a recipe that King Charles XII brought from Turkey in the early 18th century." In general, a scandal ensued. The Turks demanded that IKEA meatballs be renamed kofta, the Swedes clutched their hearts and said that their whole life had turned out to be a lie.
One way or another, there is no doubt - kofte is one of the most delicious meat dishes ever invented. Kofte is a cross between cutlets and meatballs.
By the way, many people know kofte exclusively as a meat dish. In fact, this word can mean a meatball or cutlet made from anything: for example, made from lentils, potatoes or bulgur - all these are traditional Turkish recipes.
Making kofte requires experimentation.
Experimentation is the most important part of the recipe. Kofte in two different cafes or from two different housewives simply cannot be the same. Therefore, you will have to determine many of the details of preparing kofte yourself in accordance with your taste. Such details include the number of spices and their set. Like Russian cutlets, a binding component is placed in the kofta. You need to choose whether to use white bread or chia seeds for this. By the way, the seeds completely soften during cooking and you won’t feel them in the finished kofta. Whether to add onions and eggs is something you also need to decide for yourself. And one more question, which also has several solutions - how to fry kofte. This can be done in a regular frying pan, on a grill pan or on coals.
Chop the onion and garlic as finely as possible. Beat the eggs lightly. In a large bowl, combine the minced meat, eggs, chia (or bread), chopped onion and garlic, as well as all the spices of your choice. Mix the minced meat with your hands until the ingredients are completely combined. After kneading, you should end up with an elastic bun that does not lose its shape.
Form the minced meat into oblong cutlets. Place them on a cutting board or plate and refrigerate for 1 hour.
After this, fry the kofte in vegetable oil for 7-10 minutes on each side, without covering it with a lid. The dish is best served with fresh vegetables: onions, tomatoes, bell peppers.
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