German Style Meatballs - Oktoberfest Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is Königsberger Klopse made of? ›

The meatballs are made from very finely minced veal, though less expensive beef or pork is often substituted, along with onions, eggs, a few (white) bread crumbs, and spices, chiefly white pepper. The traditional recipe uses anchovy. If herring is substituted, the dish is called Rostocker Klopse.

For this reason, many recipes will include a binding ingredient like egg, and a filler like breadcrumbs. You only need a small amount of egg – it's there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn't detract from the meat's flavour or texture.

American meatballs are the biggest in size, with Italian and Swedish meatballs following on the depth chart. Italian meatballs call for seasonings like grated parmesan and oregano, while Swedish ones use seasonings like nutmeg and allspice. While it doesn't sound like a huge distinction, you'll notice it in the taste!

Some believe it originated in Germany and it's recorded as having been eaten as early as the 17th century and traditionally served with mashed potatoes and pickled cabbage. Varieties of frikkadellen include combining veal and pork, or beef and pork, or even fish.

Bitterballen are actually Dutch meatballs, a very popular snack served at bars along with beer. Sometimes they are shaped as logs or sometimes as balls.

Many variations of the frikkadel notwithstanding, what sets the traditional South African frikkadel apart from its meatball cousins are three things: the meat is beef mince; the bread is soaked in milk; and the dish is baked in the oven. Just like ouma used to make it.

Keftedes or Keftethes are meatballs from Greece. Depending upon the region and the person making them they can vary in spices, sauces, and the type of meat used to make them. For the most part they are a mixture of ground beef or pork infused with herbs and spices then lightly fried in olive oil.

If you like to do OAMC cooking, these freeze beautifully, in fact, I never make less than 100 meatballs at a time, lightly brown them, then flash freeze to finish later. The traditional recipe calls for a mix of beef, pork, and veal- if you object to veal, they work equally well with an even mix of beef and pork.

Mix turkey, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, and salt together in a large bowl. Form meat mixture with wet hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter without handling or packing too hard. Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 20 minutes.

Swedish meatballs are slightly smaller than traditional meatballs — think the size of a golf ball — so that they can be easily picked up by a toothpick and popped into your mouth. As for the sauce, Swedish meatballs are cooked in a rich, creamy gravy that is most often created from bone broth and cream.

What are IKEA meatballs made of horse meat? ›

Ikea first said that it would not sell or serve any meatballs at its stores in Sweden after the Czech authorities detected horse meat in frozen meatballs that were labeled beef and pork, even though Ikea's own tests two weeks ago had not detected horse DNA.

The standard meatballs that you might put in a spaghetti sauce or a meatball sub are usually made with ground beef. But, Swedish meatballs from IKEA are made from both pork and beef! And, of course, there is a creamy gravy rather than a red sauce when you serve it.