Çiğköfte

Without any doubt, Çiğköfte is one of Şanlıurfa’s most important dishes. Although vegetarian versions have been made in many cities in recent years, the original Çiğköfte is made with meat and plenty of isot pepper from Şanlıurfa. Çiğköfte is the essential dish of sıra nights, special meetings and entertainments in Şanlıurfa.

People of Şanlıurfa sometimes make this dish with eggs instead of meat. However, this version is called “yumurtalı köfte”.

According to the legend, Çiğköfte dates back to the time of Prophet Ibrahim. When King Nimrod gathered all the wood in and around the city center to set Abraham on fire, the people of Şanlıurfa had no wood left, even for cooking. In those days, a hunter came home with the gazelle he hunted. His wife, who had no wood, was worried and did not know how to cook the gazelle. But she immediately found a solution. She cut some lean meat from the leg of the gazelle, beat it with a stone and turned it into minced meat. Later, she started to knead it by mixing it with bulgur and isot (chili pepper). She added green onions and parsley. Thus, Şanlıurfa’s famous çiğköfte was created.