Bitterballen are a traditional Dutch snack made from a meat-based mixture that is rolled into balls, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried until golden brown. They are often served with a mustard sauce and are a popular accompaniment to alcoholic beverages in pubs and bars. The dish has a long history and is believed to have originated as a way to use up leftover meat. It is now enjoyed in many countries with significant Dutch populations and has gained popularity in the international culinary scene.
Bitterballen, also called Dutch ladles, are a traditional staple of Dutch cuisine. They are roughly equivalent to meatballs or croquettes, but are fried rather than fried or baked. Considered a snack rather than a meal, these meat-based flavors often appear on pub menus or traditional menus as starters, and can be served as starters at parties and festivals.
There are several variations of the basic recipe, but in general the bitters are made from a meat sauce, meat broth, flour, butter, parsley, salt and pepper. The meat is traditionally beef, but can be veal or chicken and is minced or minced. Common recipe additives include nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, onion, mushrooms, diced carrot, and curry. All ingredients are cooked together, then refrigerated until the mixture becomes solid.
Once workable, the meat mixture is rolled into balls and coated with a mixture of egg, milk and breadcrumbs. The bitterballen are then fried in fat or oil until crisp and golden brown and served hot. They are usually accompanied by a mustard sauce. The recipe is nearly identical to another Dutch staple called kroketten. The only difference is that kroketten are sausage-shaped while bitterballen are round.
There are strong indicators that this dish developed in the same way that many recipes have developed: as a way to use up leftovers, such as roast ox. The remaining meat was mixed with broth and bread to make a stew. During the Spanish occupation of the late 1500s and early 1600s, Spanish soldiers are said to have adopted the dish and began breading and frying the mixture into an early version of bitterballen. The first modern bitterbal is said to have been brewed by the wife of pub owner Jan Barendzbe and introduced to his customers’ bars.
The name of the dish literally means “bitter ball”. This is not an indicator of taste, but rather that these snacks were meant to be served with a bittertje, a small glass of a Dutch liqueur somewhat similar to gin. They remain a popular accompaniment to alcoholic beverages in pubs and bars.
Traditionally, the dish only appears in places that have significant Dutch populations, such as the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Indonesia, Belgium and Suriname. The emergence of Dutch cuisine into the international arena, however, has led to a flurry of recipe variations on Internet cooking sites. The dish has also been made into television cooking shows.
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