Köfte kebab or şiş köfte or Kabab_koobideh (in Iran) is a kebab variant. It consists of köfte, minced lamb meatballs with herbs, often including parsley and mint, on a stick, grilled. The food is popular in Iran, Turkey, where there are hundreds of versions such as ıslama köfte, çiğ köfte, and kadınbudu köfte; and, is usually served with plain rice and a salad,[1]and also in Macedonia, Armenia, and Romania.
The origin of the word köfte is the Persian word کوفته kufteh meaning "mashed". In old times since people did not have meat grinders they minced meat to very small pieces and then mashed them in rather large mortars. As a matter of fact, Persian meatballs (the size of a big apple) are called Kufteh in Persian as they are made from ground meat as well. Kofte is called Kubideh in Persian, which is another form of the word "Kufteh".
Köfte is usually made of ground meat. It can also be made without any meat at all however, as in the case of lentil or potato köfte.[2] The word Kufteh is Persian for "mashed". In old times since people did not have meat grinders they minced meat to very small pieces and then mashed them in rather large mortars.