Smyrna Meatballs (Soutzoukakia)
Oblong, cumin-scented meatballs lightly fried then simmered until tender in a rich, wine-spiked tomato sauce. A beloved taverna classic with roots in Asia Minor, best served over rice or mashed potato to soak up every drop of sauce.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Soak the bread
Tear the bread into pieces and soak it in the milk for a few minutes, then squeeze out the excess liquid with your hands and crumble it into a large bowl. This keeps the meatballs soft and moist instead of dense.
- 2 slices (80 g) stale bread
- 125 ml milk
✅ Done when: the bread is soft and no longer dry in the centre
Mix and shape
Add the ground beef, grated onion, garlic, egg, cumin, oregano, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper to the soaked bread and mix with your hands until just combined (overmixing makes them tough). Shape into small oblong, torpedo-shaped meatballs about the length of a finger, then chill them for 15 minutes so they hold their shape.
- 600 g ground beef
- 1 small grated onion
- 3 cloves grated garlic
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
✅ Done when: the mixture is evenly bound and the meatballs feel firm, not sticky
Seal in the pan
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Build the sauce
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Simmer the meatballs
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Soak the bread
Tear the bread into pieces and soak it in the milk for a few minutes, then squeeze out the excess liquid with your hands and crumble it into a large bowl. This keeps the meatballs soft and moist instead of dense.
- 2 slices (80 g) stale bread
- 125 ml milk
✅ Done when: the bread is soft and no longer dry in the centre
Mix and shape
Add the ground beef, grated onion, garlic, egg, cumin, oregano, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper to the soaked bread and mix with your hands until just combined (overmixing makes them tough). Shape into small oblong, torpedo-shaped meatballs about the length of a finger, then chill them for 15 minutes so they hold their shape.
- 600 g ground beef
- 1 small grated onion
- 3 cloves grated garlic
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
✅ Done when: the mixture is evenly bound and the meatballs feel firm, not sticky
Seal in the pan
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Build the sauce
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Simmer the meatballs
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Soutzoukakia travelled to mainland Greece with the Greek refugees from Smyrna and other cities of Asia Minor, who arrived after the population exchange of the early 1920s. They brought with them a style of cooking shaped by centuries living alongside Ottoman and Levantine neighbours, where cumin, grated onion and oblong-shaped meatballs were already familiar.
Once settled in cities like Athens and Thessaloniki, these refugee cooks folded the meatballs into Greek tomato sauce, and the dish became a fixture of home kitchens and tavernas across the country, far beyond its original community.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Soutzoukakia stand out among Greek meatball dishes for their bold, warm cumin flavour and their long, cylindrical shape, both direct legacies of their Asia Minor origin, and they are prized for the rich tomato sauce that is practically a meal in itself with rice or bread.
💡 Fun Fact
The name comes from the Turkish word 'sucuk', a cured, spiced sausage, a nod to the meatballs' long shape rather than their actual ingredients.
Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey)
38.42°N, 27.13°E
Related recipes
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!