Smyrna meatballs

{{Short description|Greek and Turkish dish of sauced meatballs}}

{{More citations needed|date=September 2015}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Smyrna meatballs

| image = Soutzoukakia smyrneika.jpg

| image_size = 300px

| caption =

| alternate_name = İzmir köfte

| country =

| region = İzmir

| creator =

| course =

| type = Stew

| served =

| main_ingredient = Minced meat (usually beef), bread crumbs, egg, garlic, and parsley, and generously spiced with cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.

| variations = Ciorbă de perişoare, Sulu köfte, Yuvarlak, Tabriz meatballs

| calories =

| other =

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Smyrna meatballs, known as soutzoukakia Smyrneika ({{langx|el|σουτζουκάκια σμυρναίικα}}) or İzmir köfte (Turkish), is a Greek and Turkish dish of spicy oblong meatballs with cumin and garlic served in tomato sauce. This dish was brought to Greece by refugees from Asia Minor.{{cite book|first1=Andrew|last1=Dalby|first2=Rachel|last2=Dalby|title=Gifts of the Gods: A History of Food in Greece|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pV5uDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA149|pages=148–151|publisher=Reaktion Books|date=15 November 2017|isbn=9781780238630|via=Google Books}}{{cite web|first1=Elaine|last1=Louie|access-date=2019-10-29|title=Meatball Sausages (Soutzoukakia Smyrneika) Recipe|url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018618-meatball-sausages-soutzoukakia-smyrneika|website=NYT Cooking}}

The Greek version is typically made with minced meat (usually beef, also mixed with lamb or pork), bread crumbs, egg, garlic, and parsley, and generously spiced with cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. They are floured before being fried in olive oil. The tomato sauce has tomato, wine, onion, garlic, a bayleaf, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Soutzoukakia are generally served with pilaf or mashed potatoes.

Turkish recipes for {{lang|tr|İzmir köfte}} are very similar, though without pork, and often also include sliced potatoes, diced tomatoes, hot pepper flakes, or other variations.{{cite web|access-date=2019-10-29|title=İzmir köfte tarifi|trans-title=Smyrna meatballs recipe|url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/lezizz/izmir-kofte-tarifi-41355967|language=tr|website=Hurriyet}}{{cite web|first1=Ozlem|last1=Warren|access-date=2019-10-29|title=Turkish Meatballs and vegetables casserole; Izmir Kofte, my way|url=https://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2010/06/casserole-of-meatballs-potatoes-tomatoes-and-peppers-izmir-kofte-my-way/|website=Ozlem's Turkish Table}}