The first soutzoukakia was born in Smyrna, or what is now Izmir, Turkey. The name itself derives from the Turkish word Sucuk (a spicy fermented sausage made from minced meat). The massacre of Greeks by the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I forced the Greek Ottoman Christian population to flee parts of Turkey, especially Anatolia. Those who arrived safely in Greece brought the recipe with them. Among the survivors was Doriti’s grandmother. Soutzoukakia, as such, has an important meaning for her.
“The Greeks of Anatolia (Asia Minor in modern Turkey) and especially Smyrna (Izmir) created this recipe, turning sucuk into wine-based meatballs served in tomato sauce,” she wrote in her book. “They kept the oblong shape of the sucuk, ditching the gut tissue and adding red wine to the mix, along with a luscious tomato sauce that often contains butter for extra richness and a velvety texture.”
“The use of red wine is a vital and distinct part of the flavor of these meatballs. They are usually fried first and then added to tomato sauce,” Doriti wrote. “Some cooks, including my mother (who inherited this recipe from her grandmother), cook them with sliced potatoes and tomatoes. But I must admit that my preference is the stovetop version with the sauce .”
Doriti explained that Greek recipes are often distinguished by the use of wine in cooking, as in the case of soutzoukakia. “That’s mainly how they ‘Christianized’ the dishes,” she said. Wine and tomato recipes have a Greek origin story as wine is not used in Muslim cuisine and tomatoes were incorporated into Turkish cuisine later in the 20th century.
Nowadays, the original recipe left by the Greek refugees from Smyrna survives in Turkey under the name of izmir köfte. Doriti writes that the dish is similar, but excludes wine, uses far fewer tomatoes, and is baked with sliced potatoes and green peppers.
Doriti hopes her book will keep recipes like soutzoukakia at the forefront of Greek cuisine and inspire people to look beyond the most common dishes. “It’s a book I’ve been looking for for a long time,” she said. “I traveled all over Greece and really did a lot of research. Not just the local products, but also the old, very traditional things that are almost lost.”
When making soutzoukakia, Doriti says you can either bake or fry the meatballs. But she recommends using a sweet wine, like Mavrodaphne or Santorini red Vin Santo. That, she says, gives it the right flavor.
