Frikadeller

Frikadeller

A freshly made batch of frikadeller
Place of origin	Uncertain; supposedly Denmark
Serving temperature	Hot or cold
Main ingredients	Pork, veal, lamb, beef or fish
Other information	As a main dish, generally served with boiled potatoes and gravy, or creamed cabbage

Frikadeller are flat, pan-fried dumplings of minced meat, often likened to the Danish version of meatballs. They are a popular dish in much of Europe, especially Germany, where they are known as Frikadellen, Buletten, Fleischküchle or Fleischpflanzerl, Austria, where they are known as Faschierte Laibchen and Denmark, their supposed country of origin. Through cultural exchange with the aforementioned countries, frikadeller have also entered national cuisines of other European countries such as Faroe Islands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Russia, Estonia, Ukraine, Latvia, the Netherlands, Lithuania as well as in South Africa, where they form part of the Afrikaner culinary heritage. In Sweden, poached quenelles are called frikadeller and are usually served in soup. In Hungary, it is called fasírt and often accompanies the Hungarian stew type, the "Főzelék".

Many variations of frikadeller exist but traditionally they are made of minced veal, 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; then formed into balls and flattened somewhat. They are then pan-fried in pork fat or beef fat, or more commonly in modern times in butter, margarine or even vegetable oil. Another popular variation is fiskefrikadeller replacing the meat with fish as the main ingredient and often served with remoulade.