Fritas de prasa, also keftes de prasa and albondigas de prasa (Hebrew: קציצות כרישה, romanized: ktzizot krisha, lit. 'leek patties') are fried potato-leek pancakes common in Sephardic Jewish cuisine.
Fritas de prasa have been served by Sephardic Jews on Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Passover since the time of the Spanish Inquisition and forced expulsion of Jews from Spain.[1]
Tan and Hosking note that "the name reflects the journey of Sephardic cuisine".[2] The term "prasa," meaning leek, originates from Greek and has influenced the Turkish word "pirasa." The word "kofte," referring to minced meat, is of Persian origin and is commonly used in Turkish cuisine to denote meatballs. The Spanish word "albondigas," used for meatballs, has its roots in the Arabic term "al-bunduq," which means hazelnut and, by extension, small round objects. It is likely that Jews in Spain adopted this term.[2]
Fritas de prasa are similar to a latke.[3]
According to Tan and Hosking, this dish "would be listed among the top five typically Jewish dishes among Turkish Jews."[4]
