Islama köfte are traditional Turkish meatballs originating from Adapazarı, the capital of Sakarya province. The meatballs are usually made with a combination of grated stale bread, ground beef, onions, garlic, cumin, paprika, eggs, salt, and pepper. Once the mixture has been shaped into meatballs, they're either grilled or fried in oil over medium heat on both sides. The bread is sliced and dipped in a mixture of beef stock, oil, and paprika before it's grilled (or fried in the same pan with the meatballs). Hot green peppers and sliced tomatoes are also grilled or fried, and once everything is fully cooked, it's arranged on a plate with the peppers and tomato slices on the sides.
The most famous Turkish meatball dish was invented by Mustafa Efendi, a Turkish immigrant from Bulgaria who came to İnegöl in the late 19th century. İnegöl köfte are made with breadcrumbs and a mixture of ground beef or lamb, seasoned with only onions. They are grilled, and usually served as a main course. Although these delicious meatballs are nowadays found all over the country, it is said that the best ones are prepared in İnegöl.
This Turkish dish consists of oval-shaped patties made from a doughy mixture of boiled red lentils and bulgur. The köfte mixture is seasoned with a pinch of salt and flavored with sautéed onions, tomato paste, and a pinch of cumin. In the spicy version of this dish, chili flakes are typically added for heat. Fresh parsley, dill, and spring onions are added near the end of the cooking process for a refreshing flavor. Mercimek köfte are very popular in Turkey, where they are usually served cold as appetizers at social gatherings. They are traditionally eaten with lettuce and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Çiğ köfte is the Turkish version of steak tartare, traditionally made with high-quality ground raw beef (or lamb) that is combined with tomatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, and a selection of Turkish spices. The dish is consumed as a meze, and it is typically served almost cold. Nowadays, due to food safety regulations and health concerns, the meat is almost always replaced with bulgur and ground walnuts, but these vegetarian versions are so good that people mostly can’t tell them from the real thing.
İzmir köfte is a Turkish comfort food dish consisting of köfte (meatballs), peppers, and potatoes in a simple tomato sauce. The dish can either be prepared on a stove or baked in the oven. Köfte are typically made with ground beef or lamb, onions, flour, stale bread, and eggs, flavored with a variety of spices such as red pepper flakes, cumin, black pepper, and mint. Before serving, İzmir köfte are traditionally garnished with chopped parsley on top. It is recommended to use plain rice or a slice of crusty bread as accompaniments. The dish originated and was named after Smyrni, or modern-day Izmir, where it was initially prepared by Greek citizens and was called soutzoukakia smyrneika. It is believed that the dish was brought to other areas in Greece in the 1920s, following the great migration after the Greco-Turkish War.
Akçaabat köftesi is a traditional dish originating from the eponymous town in Trabzon. The dish consists of fried meatballs. They are unique in a way because the locals only use the veal of the calves they breed and slaughter. The meatballs are made from ground veal, bread crumbs, grated onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Once formed into patties, the meatballs are grilled or cooked in a skillet until golden brown. It's recommended to serve these meatballs with a green salad, bulgur pilaf, roasted vegetables, and ayran on the side.
Kadinbudu köfte (lit. lady’s thigh köfte) is a Turkish dish made with ground beef or lamb, rice, onions, eggs, flour, oil, and various spices. It is believed that the unusual name stems from the Ottoman era because it resembled women’s thighs at the time. The meatballs are coated with flour and beaten eggs, then fried in hot oil until golden-brown in color. On the interior, the meat should remain tender and succulent. The dish is typically served either with french fries or pan-fried potato wedges, onions, and tomatoes.
Sulu köfte is a meatball stew built around small, tender köfte simmered directly in a light broth or tomato-based sauce, giving the dish a consistency somewhere between a soup and a main-course stew. Its name is straightforward: sulu means “with liquid” or “brothy,” while köfte refers to the seasoned meatballs at its center. Rather than belonging exclusively to one city, sulu köfte is found across Anatolia, with documented regional versions in places including Sivas, Yozgat, Afyonkarahisar, and Kars, each differing in the grain used in the meatballs, their size, seasoning, and the character of the cooking liquid. The dish belongs to a much wider family of Anatolian meals in which minced meat is combined with rice or fine bulgur and cooked in liquid rather than grilled or fried. This approach both softens the meatballs and allows a relatively modest quantity of meat to form the basis of an entire pot of food. In Sivas, older versions were made from meat pounded by hand on a meat block before mechanically minced meat became common, while recipes recorded there combine meat with fine bulgur, rice, onion, egg, parsley, and spices. Elsewhere the formula changes: Yozgat versions use fine bulgur known locally as düğürcük, Kars recipes commonly incorporate broken rice, and Afyonkarahisar prepares the meatballs with fine bulgur and cooks them in a simple onion-and-tomato-paste broth. The most common preparation begins by kneading minced beef, or sometimes a mixture of meats, with finely chopped or grated onion, rice or fine bulgur, salt, black pepper, and occasionally parsley, egg, or red pepper. The mixture is rolled into small balls, often no larger than a marble or hazelnut; in some households they are lightly coated with flour so that they remain separate while cooking and contribute a little body to the broth. A base of butter or oil and tomato or pepper paste is cooked briefly before water or stock is added, and the meatballs are then gently simmered until both the meat and grain are tender. Some versions remain very simple, while others include potatoes, carrots, chickpeas, lentils, dried mint, or additional rice. The dish also has several close relatives: ekşili köfte introduces a pronounced sour element, usually lemon, while terbiyeli köfte may use an egg-and-lemon mixture to thicken and brighten the cooking liquid. What defines ordinary sulu köfte, however, is the direct cooking of small grain-bound meatballs in a generous amount of seasoned liquid rather than the specific choice of vegetables or spices. It is primarily associated with home cooking and is normally served hot in a deep or shallow bowl as a substantial lunch or dinner. Bread is useful for the broth, while rice pilaf or bulgur pilaf can turn it into a larger meal; yogurt, cacık, pickles, or a simple salad provide a cooler or sharper contrast. As a beverage pairing, ayran is the most natural non-alcoholic choice, while a light, dry red wine can accompany richer tomato-based versions without overwhelming the relatively mild meatballs.
Ekşili köfte is a traditional köfte dish. The meatballs are prepared with a combination of ground beef, rice, eggs, cumin, black pepper, and salt. Once formed, they are cooked in water and beef stock. The sauce is made from flour, egg yolks, lemon juice, and water, with red pepper as garnish. It's poured over the meatballs, then served with bread or salad on the side. The dish is typically eaten with a spoon.
Harput köftesi are traditional Turkish köfte meatballs originating from Elazığ (formerly Harput). The dish is made with a combination of ground beef, basil, onions, bulgur, tomato paste, salt, paprika, black pepper, and parsley. The mixture is shaped into small balls, and the meatballs are then simmered in a combination of oil, water, and tomato paste. Once done, Harput meatballs are served immediately in warmed plates.
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