Çiğ köfte

Çiğ köfte(Turkish pronunciation:[tʃiːcœfte]) orchee koftais akoftadish that is a regional specialty ofsoutheastern AnatoliainUrfa. The dish is served as an appetizer ormeze, and it is closely related withkibbeh nayyehfromLevantine cuisine.
Çiğ köfteis common to bothArmenianandTurkish cuisines.
Traditionally made with raw meat, there are vegetarian variations made withbulgurand inUrfa, a local meatless version is made withscrambled eggs.InŞanlıurfaprovince, locally prepared batches are sold by street vendors.
In 2008 public sales of çiğ köfte with raw meat were banned by theHealth Ministry of Turkeydue to health hazards, especiallytaeniasis,thus leaving only plant-based versions in shops and restaurants.
In Turkish,çiğmeans "raw" andköftemeans meatball. The wordköftederives fromPersian, ultimately from theProto-Indo-Europeanroot "*(s)kop–" (grind, pound, beaten).
InAramaic, the indigenous language ofEdessa, it is called ܐܰܟܺܝܢ (Acin).
Bulguris kneaded with chopped onions and water until it gets soft. Then tomato and pepper paste, spices and very fine ground beef or lamb are added. This absolutely fatless raw mincemeat is treated with spices while kneading the mixture, which is in lieu of cooking the meat.Lastly, green onions, fresh mint and parsley are mixed in. Some çiğ köfte makers, particularly in Sanliurfa, do not use water in their recipes. Instead of water, they use ice cubes.
In the beef variant, ground beef is used. Tendons and fat are removed before grinding the beef. High-quality beef is required, since it is served raw.
Since lamb is considered a "clean meat", it is often used for çiğ köfte instead of beef. Both Armenians and Turks use çiğ köfte as ameze, served almost cold. The rawmeatball, orkofta, is not kept overnight and is reserved for special occasions. The lamb used must be deboned and trimmed ofgristleand fat before it is prepared. The lamb is supposed to be butchered, bought, and prepared the very same day to ensure freshness.
With either meat, finely groundbulgur(durumand other wheat) is required. Other ingredients are mild onions,scallions, parsley, and usually green pepper.  Variants of the dish may use tomato sauce,Tabasco sauce, and mint leaves.  When served, it may be gathered into balls, or in one piece. Crackers orpita breadare sometimes used to consume ıt.
The dish is often associated withŞanlıurfaprovince, where it is a popular street food, but it is a popular appetizer all over Turkey. The ingredients are all raw and traditionally include ground meat, bulgur, tomato paste, fresh onion, garlic and other spices for flavoring such as "isot" and black pepper.A favorite way of eating çiğ köfte is rolled in alettuceleaf, accompanied by good quantities ofayranto counter-act the burning sensation that this very spicy food will give.
A vegetarian version of ciğ köfte may also be made with only bulgurgrains. The preparation is similar to the versions that include meat, and some cooks also addpomegranate molasses. Depending on the cook's preferences, spices likecuminmay be used instead ofisotin the preparation of vegetarian versions.Another vegetarian variation from Urfa is made withscrambled eggs.
Although the traditional recipe requires minced raw meat, the version in Turkey consumed as fast-food (through small franchise shops in every neighborhood of Turkey) must be meatless by law due to hygienic necessities.Therefore, çiğ köfte is, unless specifically made,veganin Turkey. Meat is replaced by ground walnuts, hazelnuts and potato.
Chi kofte is considered a delicacy inArmenian cultureand is normally prepared on special occasions, especially during holidays. There are many varieties of chi kofte amongArmenianfamilies depending on the historic region they are from and their personal preferences. For example, some may use more or less bulgur, and some may use more or less pepper paste depending on their desired spiciness.
Traditional Armenian chi kofte is made in two varieties, either in loose meatball form in the shape of a small egg, or flattened on a plate with olive oil and minced green onions, similar tokibbeh nayyeh.However, unlikeLevantineArabs, eating chi kofte with bread is not common amongArmenians.
A vegetarian variety also exists which is shaped very similarly to chi kofte and with a similar texture. Although it is prepared throughout the year, it is particularly popular duringLentin accordance with the diet restrictions of theArmenian Apostolic Church.
Chi kofte was introduced in theUnited StatesbyArmenian immigrants, and is commonly referred to asArmenian beef tartare.
Concerns have been expressed that the raw meat variety of the dish is unsafe to consume. A 2003 research paper on 50 çiğ köfte samples from Ankara, Turkey found that the dish had unsafe levels of microorganisms.A 2012 research paper on 100 samples from Bursa, Turkey reached a similar conclusion, and foundsalmonellapresent in 2% of its samples.
According to legend,King Nimrod, the king of an ancient civilization in theŞanlıurfaregion, decided to burnAbrahambecause Abraham believed in one God. He ordered all the wood in the kingdom to be gathered in a big square. There was no wood left for cooking in the houses, and fires were forbidden. The people gathered pieces of wood in the square for days by order of the king.
A hunter, who was unaware of this order because he was hunting on the mountain, brought the deer he hunted to his house and asked his wife to cook it. She told him about the king's prohibition on lighting fires, so the hunter separated the right hind leg of the deer and crushed it with a fine stone and addedbulgur,black pepperand salt and kneaded it well with the ground beef. It is said that raw meatballs were first made by this hunter and his family.