A frikadelle is a rounded, flat-bottomed, pan-fried meatball of minced meat, often likened to the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and/or

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

version of meatballs. The origin of the dish is unknown. The term is

but the dish is associated with

, Scandinavian and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

cuisines. It is considered a national dish in Denmark. They are one of the most popular meals in Poland, they are known as . In Norway, the dish is known as , and in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

as . There are various local variants of frikadelle throughout Scandinavia, as both a

main course A main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée ("entry") course. Typically, the main course is the meal that is the heaviest, heartiest, and most intricate or substantial o ...

and a side dish. In

, the word refers to meatballs that are boiled, not pan-fried.

Etymology

The origin of the word is uncertain. According to the '','' ' (pl. ) can be found end of the 17th century in German, and is related to the Italian , French , and Latin ('to roast'). Other variants used in Germany are , , , , and '/''Grilletta'' as well as the Austrian '. It may be derived from , a dish of sliced veal, larded with pork fat. In the (1837) is defined as, "In Belgium, a ball of minced, cooked meat" and a separate word, , is defined as . And in ''Phillips's New World of Words'' (1706) it is defined as "Fricandoe, a sort of

Scotch Collops A collop is a slice of meat, according to one definition in the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. In Elizabethan times, "collops" came to refer specifically to slices of bacon. Shrove Monday, also known as Collop Monday, was traditionally the last ...

made of thin slices of Veal, well larded and stuff'd." The '' Oxford English Dictionary'' defines ''fricandele'' (variation ''fricadelle'') as a "quasi-French form of fricandeau".''Oxford English Dictionary'' (2003)

Other variations

Denmark

In Denmark, traditionally, they are made from minced

veal Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, however most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, v ...

, pork or beef (or a blend of two of these meats); chopped onions; eggs; milk (or water); bread crumbs (or oatmeal or flour); salt; and

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

; then formed into balls by using a tablespoon to get the right size and flattened somewhat. They are then pan-fried in pork fat or beef fat, or more commonly in modern times in butter,

margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...

or even vegetable oil. Another popular variation is replacing the meat with fish (mostly cod, but sometimes cod and salmon) as the main ingredient and often served with remoulade. As a main dish, they are most often served with boiled white potatoes and gravy () accompanied by pickled

beetroot The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English, and also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet or golden beet ...

or cooked red cabbage. Alternatively, they can be served with creamed, white cabbage. Frikadeller are also eaten on ryebread (

rugbrød () is a very common form of rye bread from Denmark. usually resembles a long brown extruded rectangle, no more than 12 cm high, and 30–35 cm wide, depending on the bread pan in which it is baked. The basic ingredient is rye flour ...

) with red

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

or pickle slices as a traditional Danish

smørrebrød (; originally , "butter and bread") smørbrød "butter bread" (Norwegian language, Norwegian), is a traditional open-faced sandwich in the cuisine of Denmark, cuisines of Denmark, Cuisine of Norway, Norway and Cuisine of Sweden, Sweden that usua ...

. The combination of frikadeller and a cold potato salad is very popular at

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

s or potlucks, due to the ease of transporting either component after cooking.

Indonesia

Frikadel are also known in

Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 popula ...

through Dutch cuisine (of the frikadel, which is historically similar to the frikadaller) influence and called '' perkedel'', however the main ingredient is not meat, but mashed potato, sometimes slightly mixed with ground meat or

corned beef Corned beef, or salt beef in some of the Commonwealth of Nations, is Salt-cured meat, salt-cured brisket of beef. The term comes from the treatment of the meat with large-grained rock salt, also called "corns" of salt. Sometimes, sugar and sp ...

. The mixture is then shaped into flat round patties and dipped in egg yolk before being deep fried. Other than mashed potato, '' cabe rawit'', spring onion, shrimp, peeled

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

, or mashed tofu fritters are also common as perkedel ingredients.

Explanatory notes

References

External links

* Frikadeller Recipe in the Wikibooks Cookbook {{Authority control Danish cuisine German cuisine Norwegian cuisine Meatballs Polish cuisine Dutch cuisine National dishes fr:Boulette de viande#Europe ja:ミートボール#各国のミートボール zh:肉圓#世界各地的肉圓