Meatball
A meatball is ground meat rolled into a small ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many types of meatballs using different types of meats and spices. The term is sometimes extended to meatless versions based on vegetables or fish; the latter are commonly known as fishballs.
History
The Chinese recipe "Four Joy Meatballs" is derived from Shandong cuisine, which originated in the native cooking styles of Shandong. Its history dates back to the Qin dynasty.The ancient Roman cookbook Apicius included many meatball-type recipes.
Early recipes included in some of the earliest known Persian cookbooks generally feature seasoned lamb rolled into orange-sized balls and glazed with egg yolk and sometimes saffron. This method was taken to the West and is referred to as gilding. Many regional variations exist, notable among them the unusually large kufteh Tabrizi, from Iran's North-Western region, having an average diameter of.
Poume d'oranges is a gilded meatball dish from the Middle Ages.
Various cultures
Various recipes of meatballs can be found across Europe and Asia. From Iberia and Sweden to the Indian subcontinent, there is a large variety of meatballs in the kofta family.Europe
- Albanian fried meatballs include feta cheese.
- In Austria, fried meatballs are called Fleischlaibchen or Fleischlaberl.
- In Belgium, meatballs are called ballekes or bouletten in Flanders and are usually made of a mixture of beef and pork with bread crumbs and sliced onions. Many other variations exist, including different kinds of meat and chopped vegetables.
- In Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, meatballs are called ćufte and are typically made from ground beef and served with mashed potatoes.
- In Britain, faggots are a type of spicy pork meatball. A faggot is traditionally made from pig's heart, liver and fatty belly meat or bacon minced together, with herbs added for flavoring, and sometimes bread crumbs.
- In Bulgaria, meatballs are called kyufte and are typically made from ground beef or pork, or a mix of the two. They can be shallow fried or grilled and often contain diced onions and soaked bread. They are a very popular dish.
- In Croatia, meatballs are called polpete in the Dalmatian region or faširani šnicli or ćufte in the continental part. They are typically made with ground beef or a mixture of pork and beef and served with mashed potatoes or rice, often with tomato based sauce.
- Danish meatballs are known as frikadeller and are typically fried. They are usually made out of ground pork, veal, onions, eggs, salt, and pepper; these are formed into balls and flattened somewhat, so they are pan ready. However, the Danish cuisine also includes other versions, such as "Boller i Karry", and the smaller meatballs used in soup with "Melboller".
- In Estonia, meatballs are called lihapallid and are similar to those of Finnish or Swedish cuisine.
- In Finland, meatballs are called lihapullat. They are made with ground beef or a mix of ground beef and pork, or even with ground reindeer meat, mixed with breadcrumbs soaked in milk or viili, beef stock and finely chopped onions or alternatively, French onion soup readymix. They are seasoned with white pepper and salt. Meatballs are traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes, lingonberry jam, and sometimes pickled cucumber.
- In France, meatballs are known as boulettes de viandes or fricadelles. In Alsace, meatballs are known as Fleischkiechele. They are made of beef, pork, onions, bacon, eggs, and bread. They are served plain or with cream sauce.
- In Germany, meatballs are mostly known as Frikadelle, Fleischküchle, Fleischpflanzerl, Bulette or Klopse. A very famous variant of meatballs are Königsberger Klopse, which contain anchovy or salted herring, and are eaten with caper sauce.
- In Greece, fried meatballs are called keftédes and usually include within the mix of bread, onions, parsley and mint leaf. Stewed meatballs are called yuvarlákia and usually include small quantities of rice.
- In Hungary, as well as territories from neighbouring countries where Hungarian is spoken, a meatball is called vagdalt or fasírt or fasírozott probably coming from Austrian German faschierte Laibchen. It is a mixture of minced pork meat, minced onions, garlic, paprika, salt and breadcrumbs, deep fried in oil or pork fat and eaten with potatoes or főzelék. Also, the májgombóc is popular in soups.
- In Italy, meatballs are generally eaten as a main course or in a soup. The main ingredients of an Italian meatball are beef and/or pork and sometimes poultry or sausage, salt, black pepper, chopped garlic, olive oil, Romano cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, and parsley, mixed and rolled by hand to a golf ball size. In the Abruzzo region of Italy, especially in the Province of Teramo, the meatballs are typically the size of marbles and are called polpettine.
- In the Netherlands, meatballs are called gehaktbal, and are often served with boiled potatoes and vegetables. They are usually made out of mixed beef and pork minced meat, eggs, onion and bread crumbs.
- In Norway, meatballs are called kjøttkaker. They are often served with brown sauce, :nb:Kålstuing|kålstuing , :nb:Tyttebær|tyttebær and potatoes. Kjøttkaker are similar to Kjøttboller, except by form. Kjøttboller are round, like the typical meatball, whereas Kjøttkaker or meat cakes are in a patty form, flattened out and a bit oval in shape.
- In Poland, they are called pulpety or klopsy, and pulpeciki, and are usually served cooked with a variety of sauces with potatoes, rice or all sorts of kasza. Pulpety or klopsy are usually made from seasoned ground meat with onion and mixed with eggs and either breadcrumbs or wheat rolls soaked in milk or water. Fried pulpety are larger than typical cooked ones. They can be round or flat in shape. The latter, in many countries, would be considered a cross between a meatball and a hamburger. The fried variety is called mielony, and its mass-produced version is the subject of many jokes and urban legends about what is used to produce it.
- In Portugal, meatballs are called almôndegas. These are usually served with tomato sauce and pasta.
- In Romania and Moldova, meatballs are called chiftele or pârjoale and are usually deep fried and made with pork or poultry, moistened mashed potatoes and spices. Chiftele are flat and round and contain more meat. A variant mixing rice inside the meatball is used for sour soup, making ciorbă de perişoare.
- In Russia, they are called kotlety in flat forms or tefteli in ball forms. They can be made with chicken, pork, beef or fish. Tefteli have rice, potatoes and other vegetables mixed in as well. Kotlety is only made with meat and spices. They can be served with a side of mashed potatoes or noodles, or in a sauce.
- In Slovenia, they are called polpeti. They are typically made with ground beef or a mixture of pork and beef and served with mashed potatoes, with tomato based sauce.
- In Spain and Hispanic America, meatballs are called albóndigas, derived from the Arabic al-bunduq. Albóndigas are thought to have originated as a Berber or Arab dish imported to Spain during the period of Muslim rule. Spanish albóndigas can be served as an appetizer or main course, often in a tomato sauce. Mexican albóndigas are commonly served in a soup with a light broth and vegetables.
- In Sweden, meatballs are called köttbullar come in a few different types, all typically small, and the international influence is great, perhaps the greatest from Sweden and Spain. They are usually eaten with potatoes or pasta. Some common additions are various vegetables, ketchup, various spices, etc. are made with ground beef or a mix of ground beef, pork and sometimes veal or venison, sometimes including breadcrumbs soaked in milk, finely chopped onions, some broth and often including cream. They are seasoned with white pepper or allspice and salt. Swedish meatballs are traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes, lingonberry jam, and sometimes pickled cucumber. Traditionally, they are small, around in diameter although larger meatballs are often served at restaurants. In 2018 a Swedish Twitter account claimed that what we know as Swedish meatballs are based on a Turkish recipe and King Charles XII used food as a way to help boost the relationships between the two countries. However a Stockholm University professor of food and meal science later stated that this was unlikely and that meatballs likely originated in France or Italy instead.
- In Turkey, meatballs are called köfte and are extremely popular, there are many different versions with a variety of shapes – not necessarily round. Meatballs in Turkey are usually made with ground lamb or a mix of ground beef and lamb. Variants are mostly named after their traditional cities; such as İnegöl köfte, İzmir köfte, Akçaabat köfte and Tire köfte. Some of the other popular ones are; şiş köfte, kadınbudu köfte and sulu köfte. There is also a variant called Çiğ köfte that can be vegan.
- In Ukraine, they are called kotleta when fried and frykadelka when boiled in soup.
Americas
- In Brazil, meatballs are called almôndegas, derived from Italian influences. These are usually served with tomato sauce and pasta.
- In the Canadian province of Quebec, meatballs are the main component of a traditional dish called ragoût de boulettes. The meatballs are made with ground pork, onions, spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and are simmered in a gravy that's thickened with toasted flour. The dish is normally served with boiled or mashed potatoes and pickled beets. It is so popular that a factory-processed version of the dish is available canned in most supermarkets throughout the province.
- In Mexico, albóndigas are commonly served with a light broth and vegetables, or with a mild chipotle sauce.
- In the United States, meatballs are commonly derived from European cuisine influence. Usually, they are served with spaghetti, on pizza, or on a sub. In the Southern United States, venison or beef is also often mixed with spices and baked into large meatballs that can be served as an entrée. Another variation, called "porcupine meatballs" are basic meatballs often with rice in them. Several varieties of meatball pizza exist, such as Tex Mex and Greek-style lamb sweet and sour. The meatballs on meatball pizzas may be sliced to reduce their size, sliced in half, or broken-up and spread out on them.
Middle East and South Asia
- In Afghanistan, meatballs are used as a traditional dish with homemade soups or are made with a tomato-based sauce that may include some plum seeds to increase tartness and is served with bread or rice which is called Kofta-Chelou. Nowadays meatballs are also grilled on top of pizza.
- Armenian stewed meatballs/meatball and vegetable stew is a classic dish often poured over rice for consumption.
- In Iran, several types of meatballs are consumed. If they are cooked in a stew, they are called kufteh. If they are fried, they are called kal-e gonjeshki. Both types are consumed with either bread or rice. Typically, herbs are added, and for kufteh, usually the meatball is filled with hard boiled eggs or dried fruits. There are several types; the most famous is "kufteh tabrizi", traditionally from Tabriz in northwestern Iran.
- In Israel, meatballs are called ktzitzot basar, or sometimes simply ktzitzot. Their exact ingredients and preparation vary widely, due to the influence of Jewish immigration from different regions. They are typically made of spiced ground beef, though turkey and chicken versions are also available, and in their common form, they are shaped as slightly flattened balls, pan fried and then cooked in tomato sauce or broth. Other variations also exist, including the gondi, which were brought by the Persian Jews, the albondigas of the Sephardic cuisine, and the kufta that is customary with some Mizrahi Jews.
- In Pakistan and India, meatballs are called koftas. Pakistani and Indian meatballs are normally cooked in a spicy curry and sometimes with whole pre-boiled eggs. In Pakistan they are cooked in a gravy called chorba. Sometimes the eggs are encased in a layer of the spicy kofta meat so that the final product resembles an Indian Scotch egg. These kofta dishes are very popular with Indian diaspora and are widely available from many Indian restaurants.
- In Syria, meatballs are prepared in numerous ways. They are grilled on charcoal with or without eggplants or cooked in a stew with potato, onion and tomato sauce with a side of rice which is called Dawood Pasha.
- In West Bengal state of India and Bangladesh, koftas are made with prawns, fish, green bananas, and cabbage, as well as minced goat meat.
East and Southeast Asia
- Chinese meatballs are typically made of pork and can be steamed, boiled or deep fried, sometimes with the addition of soy sauce. Large meatballs, called lion's heads, can range in size from about in diameter. Smaller varieties, called pork balls, are used in soups. A Cantonese variant, the steamed meatball, is made of beef and served as a dim sum dish. Fish and seafood can also used to create different flavors and textures, and vegetarian alternatives to meatballs are served during festivals. In northern China, meatballs made from minced meat and flour, sometimes with the addition of lotus root or water chestnut for texture, are deep-fried and served in a vinegar-based sweet and sour sauce, or in a light broth with chopped coriander.
- Indonesian meatballs are called