Chiftele

Chiftele, plural form of chiftea, are flat and round meatballs from Romanian traditional cuisine. Chiftele are usually made from minced pork, mixed with mashed potatoes and spices, then deep-fried. Chiftele is served with pilaf or mashed potatoes. A variant mixing rice inside the meatball is called perişoare for sour soup, making ciorbă de perişoare.

There is a recipe called chiftele de peşte (fish chiftele) consisting of fishcake made from carp.

Etymology
The word chiftea comes from köfte, which is the Turkish word for kofta.

History
Centuries of Ottoman presence in Romania has left some variations from the Turkish culinary arts. Chiftele is the Romanian version of Turkish köfte.