Çiğ köfte

Çiğ kofte ( Turkish for "raw kofte ", from Persian کوفته kufteh " Zerstampftes "; çiğ [ ˌ tʃi ː ] Turkish: " raw "; Armenian չի քուֆթա č'ik'owft'a ) are usually strongly flavored, raw meatballs that are widespread in Turkey and Armenia. They are traditionally made ​​from chopped, low-fat lamb.

History

According to legend, the mother of the prophet Abraham is said to have invented Çiğ kofte, when she had nothing more than bulgur and the flesh of a gazelle. According to another tradition Çiğ kofte in Urfa was invented in the time of Abraham. As Nimrod firewood gathered for a funeral pyre, the wife of a hunter had to prepare raw meat of wild -caught. She mixed the meat with bulgur, herbs and spices and crushed the mixture with stone tools until it was tasty.

Preparation

The raw meatballs are very popular mainly in the southeastern provinces of Turkey such as Şanlıurfa or Adiyaman. The preparation is the same everywhere, but the ingredients can vary greatly from region to region. First, the bulgur with chopped onion and a little water is kneaded, until he has a soft consistency. Then, fine bulgur, onions, garlic, hot pepper paste, tomato paste, lemon, ground cumin, black pepper, salt, ground coriander, spicy paprika and other desired ingredients are gradually beef attached. Last come fresh mint, parsley, green onions, etc. added and the mass is kneaded by hand into bite-sized pieces. In the southeast of Turkey, especially Şanlıurfa, also sharp Iseult ( Urfa chili peppers ) and pomegranate syrup are added. Very common is the vegetarian version with bulgur and potatoes instead of ground beef. In Turkey Çiğ kofte sold on the street by law is vegetarian.