Çiğ Köfte Tradition

Çiğ köfte means raw meatball, and in its Şanlıurfa form it was exactly that: fine bulgur worked together with raw lean beef or lamb, isot - the dark, smoky, slow-dried chilli of Urfa - tomato and pepper paste, onion, garlic and spices, kneaded by hand in a large tray for forty minutes or an hour until the bulgur breaks down and the mass binds. The kneading is the point socially: it is done by one person while others watch and comment, water is added by hand a little at a time, and at sıra evenings it is the centre of the gathering. It is served in lettuce leaves with lemon and pomegranate molasses. Since a food regulation banned the commercial sale of raw meat versions, the shops that have spread across the whole country make it without meat - bulgur, isot and paste alone - and that vegetarian version is now what most people in Turkey mean by çiğ köfte. Both exist; the meat version survives in homes.

What you actually see

• The kneading tray - the long hand-working of the mixture.
• The isot pepper - the dark smoky chilli of Urfa.
• The lettuce service - portions wrapped with lemon and molasses.
• The two versions - the home meat form and the shop meatless one.

When to go

Year-round. Shops are everywhere and open late; the traditional kneading happens at home and at sıra evenings, mostly in winter.

Honest expectations

Commercial çiğ köfte contains no meat - the raw-meat version is a home preparation and its sale is restricted. It is genuinely hot from the isot. Ask for less acılı if that matters.

Nearby

Şanlıurfa's sıra evenings are where to see the kneading; the old bazaar sells isot by the kilo.