Kofta is a family of meatball or meatloaf dishes found in South Asian, Central Asian, Balkan, Middle Eastern, North African, and South Caucasian cuisines. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced meat—usually beef, chicken, pork, lamb or mutton, or a mixture—mixed with spices and sometimes other ingredients.[1] The earliest known recipes are found in early Arab cookbooks and call for ground lamb.
There are many national and regional variations. There are also vegetable and uncooked versions. Shapes vary and include balls, patties, and cylinders. Sizes typically vary from that of a golf ball to that of an orange.
In English, kofta is a loanword borrowed from the Urduکوفتہ or Persianکوفتهkofta meaning pounded meat.[2][3][4][1] 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] In other languages, similar foods are called croquettes, dumplings, meatballs, rissoles, and turnovers.[9][10]
The first appearance of recipes for kofta are in the earliest Arab cookbooks.[12][9] The earliest recipes are for large ground lamb meatballs triple-glazed in a mixture of saffron and egg yolk.[12] 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 was served at the Mughal court.[9]
The basic Ingredient of koftas is usually meat, but they are known for their versatility. There are many different ways to prepare it, like frying, baking, steaming, boiling, or grilling.[20] In traditional preparation methods, kofta is kneaded with fine bulgur and meat, and in some middle eastern countries it is served with the raw meat in the kneaded form.
With the inventive fillings that frequently enhance the flavor profile, koftas provide plenty of opportunity for creative culinary experimentation. Often added into the kofta mixture are nuts, cheese, or eggs.[21] Furthermore, koftas come in a broad range of shapes and sizes, from little oval shaped egg size balls to flatly carved rhombuses in trays, or tennis ball sized koftas. In addition to satisfying personal tastes, this variation in size and shape enables creative display and serving possibilities.
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 or even cottage cheese rather than red meat.[22] 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",[16] although some variants are outside that range; tabriz köftesi, 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.[23] Some versions are uncooked.[12]
Orkh or Oruq an Armenian and Syrian version made with meat and bulgur usually baked or gently fried and served in cylindrical shapes. [25]
Ćufte, a Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian style of kofta, typically made from ground beef or ground lamb, and served with a side of cooked potatoes and a salad.
Kofte Chawal, an Indian subcontinental dish that has meat or vegetable balls in a curry sauce and is served with rice. There are many variations using different ingredients for the balls, such as kofta curries made with paneer, bottle gourd, chicken or mutton.[16]
Koofteh Berenji, Koofteh Hamedani, Koofteh Nar, Koofteh Tabrizi and Koofteh Shirin-e Kermanshahi are all Iranian variants of kofta.[26]
^ abAyto, John (1994). A Gourmet's Guide: Food and Drink from A to Z. Oxford University Press. p. 184. ISBN978-0-19-280025-1. 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'.
^"kofta". Oxford English Dictionary. 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023. 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.
^Shurreef, Jaffur (1832). "Appendix". Qanoon-e-Islam قانونِ اسلام [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] (in Urdu). Translated by Herklots, Gerhard Andreas. London, England: Parbury, Allen, and Co. p. xxx. pp. xxvii, xxx: V. Moosulman [Muslim] Cookery, (including the various Dishes alluded to in this Work). 1. Polaoos پلاؤ. ... Kofta Polaooکوفتہ پلاؤ.
^Wise, James (1883). "Nán-baí, Roṭi-wálah". Notes on the Races, Castes and Trades of Eastern Bengal. London, England: Harrison and Sons. p. 97. [The Nān-bāʾī'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.
^Edelstein, Sari (2010). Food, Cuisine, and Cultural Competency for Culinary, Hospitality, and Nutrition Professionals. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 594. ISBN9781449618117.
^Baboian, Rose. Armenian Cooking: Today's Version of Ancient Cuisine. Hippocrene Books, 1984.
^Petrosian, Irina, and David Underwood. Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore. University of California Press, 2006.
^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