Kofte

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A dish featuring ground meat combined with spices, shaped into balls or patties for grilling or frying
2. A preparation typically made from minced meat mixed with seasoning and shaped into small forms for various cooking methods
3. A culinary item made from seasoned minced meat that is formed into spherical or patty shapes for cooking by grilling or frying

Etymology: Kofte is a spelling variant of "kofta", a dish whose name comes from the Persian verb "kōftan", meaning "to grind, break, beat". The past participle "kōfta" gave a noun for ground meat, so the name describes the process before the dish. Persian "kōfta" therefore meant ground meat, and the shaped balls or patties took their name from the minced meat inside them. The word reached English through Persian as a loanword, and it spread across the regions where Persian cuisine was influential, including Turkey, the Balkans, South Asia and the Arab world, each adapting the dish and its spelling. That is why versions of the name appear in so many languages, and why the same dish can be a meatball in one kitchen and a patty in another.