Meatballs

A meatball is ground or minced meat rolled into a small 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 types of meatballs using different types of meats and spices. The term is sometimes extended to meatless versions based on vegetables or fish.

The Chinese recipe "Four Joy Meatballs" (四喜丸子—Sì xǐ wánzi) is derived from Shandong cuisine, which originated in the native cooking styles of Shandong. Its history dates back to the Qin dynasty (221 BC to 207 BC).

Early recipes included in some of the earliest known Arabic cookbooks generally feature seasoned lamb rolled into orange-sized balls and glazed with egg yolk and sometimes saffron. This method was taken to the West and is referred to as gilding. Many regional variations exist, notable among them the unusually large kufteh Tabrizi, having an average diameter of 20 centimetres (7.9 in).Poume d'oranges is a gilded meatball dish from the Middle Ages.

The ancient Roman cookbook Apicius included many meatball-type recipes.

Various recipes of meatballs can be found across Europe and Asia. From the Balkans to India, there are a large variety of meatballs in the kofta family.

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