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Bakso or baso is an
Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
meatball, or a meat paste made from beef
surimi is a paste made from Fish as food, fish or other meat. The term can also refer to a number of East Asian cuisine, East Asian foods that use that paste as their primary ingredient. It is available in many shapes, forms, and textures, and is ofte ...
. Its texture is similar to the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
beef ball, fish ball, or pork ball. The word ''bakso'' may refer to a single meatball or the complete dish of meatball soup. '' Mie bakso'' refers to bakso served with yellow noodles and rice vermicelli, while ''bakso kuah'' refers to bakso soup served without noodles. ''Bakso'' can be found all across Indonesia, from street vendors to high-class restaurants. Along with '' soto'', '' satay'', and '' siomay'', ''bakso'' is one of the most popular street foods in Indonesia. Today, various types of ready-to-cook ''bakso'' are also available as
frozen food Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved grains and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows decompositi ...
s sold in
supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...
s in Indonesia. It is usually eaten with noodles.


Ingredients, contents, and serving

''Bakso'' is commonly made from finely ground beef with a small quantity of tapioca flour and salt, however bakso can also be made from other ingredients, such as chicken, pork, fish or shrimp. Unlike other meatball recipes, bakso has a consistent firm, dense, homogeneous texture due to the polymerization of
myosin Myosins () are a superfamily of motor proteins best known for their roles in muscle contraction and in a wide range of other motility processes in eukaryotes. They are ATP-dependent and responsible for actin-based motility. The first myosin ...
in the beef surimi. As most Indonesians are
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s which observes '' halal'' dietary law, generally ''bakso'' is made from beef, chicken or the mixture of beef with chicken. While in non-Muslim majority areas, such as in Chinatowns in major cities and
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
majority island of
Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...
, pork ''bakso'' might be found. Traditionally the beef surimi paste or dough is made into balls by hand and boiled in hot water. After the meat is done, the meatballs are dried and served or refrigerated for later use. Pre-cooked ''bakso'' are usually displayed in the windows of street vendor carts. ''Bakso'' are usually served in a bowl of beef broth, with yellow noodles, bihun (rice vermicelli), salted vegetables, tofu, egg (wrapped within bakso),
Chinese broccoli Gai lan, kai-lan, Chinese broccoli, Chinese kale, or jie lan (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''alboglabra'') is a leaf vegetable with thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems, and florets similar to (but much smaller than) broccoli. ...
, bean sprout, siomay or steamed meat dumpling, and crisp wonton, sprinkled with fried shallots and celery. Slices of bakso are often used and mixed as complements in '' mie goreng, nasi goreng'', or ''
cap cai Cap cai, sometimes spelled cap cay, () is the Hokkien-derived term for a popular Chinese Indonesian and Peranakan cuisine, Peranakan stir-fried vegetable dish that originates from Fujian cuisine. Various vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, ...
'' recipes.


Origin

The name ''bakso'' originated from ''bak-so'' (, ), the Hokkien pronunciation for "fluffy meat" or "minced meat". This suggests that bakso has Indonesian Chinese cuisine origin. Chinese influences is apparent in Indonesian food, such as '' bakmi'', ''
mie ayam Mie ayam, mi ayam, or bakmi ayam (Indonesian for 'chicken bakmi', literally chicken noodles) is a common Indonesian dish of seasoned yellow wheat noodles topped with diced chicken meat (''ayam''). It is derived from culinary techniques employed ...
'', ''pangsit'', '' mie goreng'', '' kwetiau goreng'', ''bakso'', and '' lumpia''. Indeed, bakso texture is quite similar to Chinese beef balls, which is quite fluffy and has homogenous texture. Although ''bakso'' has Chinese Hokkien origin name, culinary experts suggests that it is likely that ''bakso'' was the mixture of culinary influences back in colonial
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
. Also in
Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
, the term ''bola daging'' is often refers to Western or European style of meatballs, which is different in texture and elasticity compared to bakso. For example,
Swedish meatball A meatball is ground meat rolled into a 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 typ ...
s are translated as ''bola daging Swedia'' in Indonesian. The soup and the noodles probably originated in China, but the meatball, may have come from the Dutch, who colonized Indonesia in the 19th century. Despite its possible Chinese origin, ''bakso'' seems to had undergone localization, especially into
Chinese Indonesian Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have ...
and Javanese cuisine. Today, most of the ''bakso'' vendors are native Javanese from Wonogiri (a town near Solo) and
Malang Malang (; ) is a landlocked List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari, Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most popul ...
. ''Bakso Solo'' and ''Bakso Malang'' are the most popular variant; the name comes from the city it comes from, Solo in
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
and Malang in East Java. ''Bakso Solo'' is usually served with yellow noodle and rice vermicelli in beef broth, while ''Bakso Malang'' usually is enrichen with tofu and crispy fried wonton. In Malang, ''bakso bakar'' (roasted bakso) is also popular. In
Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
, West Java, there is a type of bakso called bakso cuanki, which is quite similar with bakso
Malang Malang (; ) is a landlocked List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari, Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most popul ...
. It can contains various type of bakso ingredients; such as bakso aci, siomay dumpling, boiled wonton, fried wonton, fried bakso, served with scallion and broth soup.


Variations

Indonesia has developed numerous bakso variants, usually differing in shape, size, texture, ingredients, and fillings. * Bakso aci: meatball with more tapioca content * Bakso ayam: chicken bakso * Bakso babi: pork meatball * Bakso bakar: grilled and skewered bakso, prepared in a similar fashion to satay * Bakso beranak: big meatball filled with small meatballs * Bakso bola tenis tennis ball-sized bakso, either filled with hard boiled egg as ''bakso telur'' or filled with ''tetelan'' which includes pieces of spare beef meat and fat or ''urat'' (tendon). * Bakso cuanki: a famous bakso in
Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
, West Java * Bakso gepeng: flat beef bakso, it usually has finer and more homogenous texture * Bakso goreng: fried bakso with a rather hard texture, usually consumed solely as a snack or mixed in one bowl as part of bakso Malang or bakso cuanki * Bakso ikan: fish bakso ( fish ball) * Bakso keju: a modern variant of bakso, filled with either cheddar or mozarella
cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
* Bakso kotak: cube-shaped bakso * Bakso Malang: bakso dish from the city of
Malang Malang (; ) is a landlocked List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari, Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most popul ...
in East Java; complete with noodles, tofu, '' siomay'', and fried wontons * Bakso mercon: lit. "fire cracker bakso", refer to an extra hot and spicy bakso filled with sambal made of chilli pepper and birds eye chili pepper * Bakso tahu: bakso meat dough filled into tofu * Bakso telur: a tennis ball-sized bakso with hard boiled chicken egg wrapped inside * Bakso udang: shrimp bakso with a slightly pink color * Bakso urat: bakso filled with
tendons A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...
and coarse meat


Condiments

Bakso stalls usually served bottles of sauces,
condiments A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separate ...
, additions and garnishing. Clients may add these condiments according to their personal preferences. The following condiments and accompaniments are often added upon a bowl of bakso: * '' Bawang goreng'' crisp fried shallot sprinkled upon bakso * ''
Kecap manis Sweet soy sauce ( id, kecap manis) is a sweetened aromatic soy sauce, originating in Indonesia, which has a darker color, a viscous syrupy consistency and a molasses-like flavor due to the generous addition of palm sugar or jaggery. ''Kecap manis ...
'' or sweet soy sauce, to add mild sweetness * Sambal chili paste to add spiciness * Bottled hot sauce * Ketchup tomato sauce * Vinegar to add sourness * '' Tongcay'' preserved salted vegetables


Popularity

''Bakso'' is one of the most popular street foods in Indonesian cities and villages alike. Travelling street vendors, either by carts or bikes are often frequenting residential areas in Indonesia, while ''bakso'' ''
warung A warung ( old spelling: waroeng or warong) is a type of small family-owned business — a small retail, eatery or café — in Indonesia (and to a lesser extent, Malaysia and Suriname). A ''warung'' is an essential part of daily life in ...
'' and humble tent food stalls are often sprung on street sides in Indonesian cities. ''Bakso'' came to international attention when the United States President Barack Obama remembered it as one of his favourite foods from his childhood in Indonesia, and mentioned it in his speech. It was also part of a task in
The Amazing Race Asia 1 ''The Amazing Race Asia 1'' is the first season of ''The Amazing Race Asia'', a reality television game show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race''. The first season of the show features ten teams of two, with a pre-existing relationsh ...
,
The Amazing Race Australia 1 ''The Amazing Race Australia 1'' is the first season of the Australian reality television game show '' The Amazing Race Australia'', the Australian version of ''The Amazing Race''. The first season featured eleven teams of two in a pre-existing r ...
and The Amazing Race 28 where teams had to either sell and/or eat ''bakso''. The traveling meatball vendor is often associated with intelligence undercover activity. On social media there are also many memes depicting meatball vendors communicating through walkie-talkies. According to Ridlwan Habib, an intelligence observer, the profession of mobile food traders such as meatball workers is often used by members of the Detective or
Densus 88 Counterterrorism Special Detachment 88 ( id, Detasemen Khusus 88 Antiteror), or Densus 88, is a tier one Indonesian National Police counter-terrorism squad formed on 30 June 2003, after the 2002 Bali bombings. It is funded, equipped, and trained ...
to spy on terrorist activities or other suspicious criminal activities.


Similar dishes

Similar meatball dishes can be found in other Southeast Asian cuisines, such as those in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as Chinese-style meatballs. The dish also similar with Vietnamese noodle soup with meatballs, '' phở bò viên''. In Vietnam, ''Phở'' means noodle soup while ''Bò Viên'' is meatballs. Phở Bò Viên is one of version of Pho dish in Vietnam. It has been considered as the national dish of Vietnam. In Malaysia and Singapore, there is a similar meatball soup called ''bebola daging'', which actually a
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
translation of "meatball". Many recipe of ''bebola daging'' in Malaysia and Singapore are actually derived from either Western (Indian or European) and Eastern (Chinese) meatballs, such as ''bebola daging Masala'' which is derived from Indian cuisine influence. In the Philippines, meatballs are called ''almondigas'' or ''bola-bola'', and are usually served in a
misua ''Misua'' (also spelled ''mee sua'' or ''miswa''; ), also known as wheat vermicelli, is a very thin variety of salted noodles made from wheat flour. It originated in Fujian, China. The noodles differ from '' mifen'' (rice vermicelli) and cellop ...
noodle soup with toasted garlic, squash, and pork cracklings. ''Bola-bolas'' are also stewed or pan-fried until golden brown.


Health issue

In the past, borax and formalin is often added into beef surimi mixture in order to preserve the produced bakso, also to make bakso more chewy (from borax induced myosin cross-linking) with less usage of meat. As a result, bakso is often listed by Indonesian Food and Drug Administration as an unhealthy foodstuff. The country's Directorate of Consumer Protection warns of the risk of
liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...
caused by high consumption over a period of 5–10 years. The government issued Sodium tripolyphosphate as borax substitute. Today's bakso, frozen bakso being sold at supermarkets and traditional markets in Indonesia are borax free.


See also

* Chinese Indonesian cuisine * List of meatball dishes *
Mie ayam Mie ayam, mi ayam, or bakmi ayam (Indonesian for 'chicken bakmi', literally chicken noodles) is a common Indonesian dish of seasoned yellow wheat noodles topped with diced chicken meat (''ayam''). It is derived from culinary techniques employed ...
* Mie bakso *
Mie kocok Mie kocok (lit: "shaken noodle"), is an Indonesian beef noodle soup, specialty of Bandung city, West Java. The dish consists of noodles served in rich beef consommé soup, ''kikil'' (beef tendon or slices of cow's trotters), bean sprouts and ba ...
*
Swedish meatball A meatball is ground meat rolled into a 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 typ ...
s


References

{{Street food Indonesian Chinese cuisine Meatballs Street food in Indonesia Indonesian beef dishes