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. The earliest known recipes are found in early Arab cookbooks and call for ground lamb.
Turkish İnegöl meatballs.
Orkh Armenian Kofta made with meat and bulgur served in Cylindrical shapes
Malai Kofta, a dish common in the Cuisine of the Indian subcontinent
Iranian Tabrizi Kofta include: yellow split peas and potatoes, as well as minced meat.
A meatball is ground meat (mince) rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many types of meatballs using different types of meats and spices. The term is sometimes extended to meatless versions based on vegetables or fish; the latter are also commonly known as fish balls.
Hochzeitssuppe, a traditional German wedding soup with meatballs
Raw meatballs
Meatballs being cooked
Bulgarian big meatball, tatarsko kufte