Have you ever tried köfte? No? You’re not alone. I’d never heard of köfte until a new colleague mentioned that he had a food truck. How cool is having a food truck? I just had to know what kind of food. The answer was: köfte. Right … do I dare ask what that is because I’ve never heard of it? Well, I did and it sounded delicious.
So, this morning I hopped on a bus at 9.05, took two trains and walked for about 10 minutes to get there at around 11.20. A bit crazy? Well, maybe – but so worth it! And it definitely beat sitting home alone all frustrated because it’s definitely not hiking weather at the moment. I did bring three books and my laptop and wrote another 2.5 newsletters on the train. Stay tuned for those. I’ll stagger them a bit, I think.
But I digress.
When I arrived the food truck was not too busy. I was introduced to everybody. There was my colleague, his wife and a family friend (I won’t repeat how he was introduced to me, but we had a good laugh). I then took a moment to look at my options. There were three main ones.
Option 1: köfte in bread
Option 2: the köfte box
Option 3: the vegetarian box
The box options come with fries and fresh vegetables (iceberg lettuce, tomato, onions and cucumbers).
There are four different sauces you can choose from. The traditional yogurt sauce, then there’s cocktail and two others that I forgot the name of. One has curry in it and the other is a bit spicier. All really good and, since I am not a fan of sauces, that’s saying something. I might be back to edit in the names of those two other sauces - back to tell you they are called Andalouse and King Spicy.
Since I wanted to write about my experience, I figured I better try everything. I went for the köfte in bread first and asked for a different kind of sauce on each of the köftes. OMD – that was absolutely divine! The bread comes from a local bakery, and it was unbelievably fluffy. I’m trying to think of how I’d describe the taste of the köftes. It’s very difficult. I’m not good at that kind of thing. And taste is also very subjective. I just know that I loved them. A lot. Can we leave it at that?
I took a bit of a break to make room for the next course and talked to the owner. We talked about how I’d never heard of köfte before and that I felt a bit embarrassed about that. What he said made perfect sense to me – it was that döner had become so popular across Switzerland that nobody had bothered with köfte. Big mistake! This is so much better than döner. And I’m not just saying that. I’ve always felt that the spices used in döner are a bit all over the place. Also, I never trusted what kind of meat they put in it.
My colleague uses a secret family recipe. Okay, I added the “secret” it just sounds better that way. Also, all produce is sourced locally as much as that’s possibly - depending on the season. The beef is Swiss, the eggs are from a local farmer and the lentils for the vegetarian option are from Turkey.
As I mentioned I took a long-ish break between meals and then went for the vegetarian box. The vegetarian option is lentil-based and OMD again! Possibly even better than the beef köftes. I can’t decide which one I prefer. I really can’t. I think the vegetarian one might just have the edge, but I’m going to have to go back to be sure.
Okay, that could have also been because of the fries it came with. The seasoning on those was amazing as well. And I did go for all four sauces again. Just too good not to.
But you know what I loved most? The food truck idea was born just last year, and the food truck opened on April 1 this year. Talking to somebody who had a dream. Went for it. Made that dream a reality. I could feel the sense of achievement, the pure joy behind it and also how people responded to it. Go for your dreams everybody! It’s so worth it.
When I arrived it was still early for lunch on a Saturday. But more and more people showed up. Many of them regulars. The entire village seems to love their köftes – and I don’t blame them.
When I left (there’s a very handy bus stop just yards from where the food truck is parked) there were 25 people gathered around a big table with a bunch of kids also enjoying their köftes and fries. A real family experience. And they didn’t mind an outsider being there as well.
I’ll leave you with some mouthwatering pictures. Top left is the vegetarian box – all sauces; top right is the lovely food truck team – they have a great sense of humor too; bottom left is the köfte in bread, which I should have made a bit larger, but I liked the background too much to zoom in; and then there’s the köfte box, which a lovely young man let me take a picture of. I couldn’t have possibly eaten that as well.
Hope you had equally good food today. Hugs all around and if you’re ever in the Winterthur/Frauenfeld area – this is a must!
How to get there
The best way to know where the food truck will be parked next is to follow them on Instagram or Facebook. You can find the information in the notes below. It’s usually on Thursdays in Winterthur (close to the Technorama) or then in Felben-Wellhausen on Saturdays. Not every Thursday and Saturday – so make sure you check before you leave.
Notes:
https://kapadokyakoefte.ch/
Ohhh food trucks! Love them. They tend to be Mexican themed by me....and that is muy bueno! Street tacos including potato tacos....churros. We are getting more of a selection though: Thai and Indian cuisine. Hello.
Like in Switzerland, most are family affairs. Recipes handed down. Food & culture crossing all barriers. Heading out soon in perfect weather for Spinach Enchiladas and Mexican Flan. Does it get better?
OMD I loved this food critique 🙂 Austin TX may have the most food trucks per capita in the US. Each owner has a wonderful story of how they got there. I googled Köfte and Döner and there are a dozen options in my neighborhood alone. They both seem to be similar to the Greek Gyros which is very popular in Chicago and part of my diet before living vegan. I'll have to discover if any restaurants have a veg option. Thanks for this! What fun!