German Style Meatballs - Oktoberfest Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is Königsberger Klopse made of? ›

The meatballs are made from very finely minced veal, though less expensive beef or pork is often substituted, along with onions, eggs, a few (white) bread crumbs, and spices, chiefly white pepper. The traditional recipe uses anchovy. If herring is substituted, the dish is called Rostocker Klopse.

The sauce for Swedish Meatballs is a creamy gravy that is made with butter, beef broth/stock, thickened with flour and made creamy with cream. But the most important flavour for the a really good creamy gravy is the pan drippings after searing the meatballs.

German Frikadellen can be eaten on their own with some mustard and/or ketchup, and a side of potato salad or on a Brötchen, a crusty bun. Some Germans also like a rustic mushroom sauce to go with their German hamburger (like this Jägersoße I serve with my Schnitzel).

Traditional Italian meatballs are made with a mix of ground beef, pork and veal with soaked stale bread squeezed dry and chopped for tenderness.

For this reason, many recipes will include a binding ingredient like egg, and a filler like breadcrumbs. You only need a small amount of egg – it's there only to help the cooked meatball retain its shape, and shouldn't detract from the meat's flavour or texture.

The name of the dish comes from the historic Prussian city called Königsberg, today's Kaliningrad, where the recipe was developed. Traditionally the main ingredients of those particular meatballs were ground veal or ground beef and pork as well as chopped anchovies.

Some believe it originated in Germany and it's recorded as having been eaten as early as the 17th century and traditionally served with mashed potatoes and pickled cabbage. Varieties of frikkadellen include combining veal and pork, or beef and pork, or even fish.

Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, cream, salt, and allspice in a bowl with your hands until evenly mixed. Roll the mixture into golf ball-sized balls. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.

Frikadellen, the original hamburger, are served like a flattened meatball with string beans and salad. I also like to use this recipe to make Swedish meatballs (but omit the paprika). My aunt in Hamburg, Germany, taught me this recipe, and I've been making it ever since.

Hamburgers were first created in Hamburg, Germany. The dish was a popular street food at the time, served with onions and spices on top of a patty of ground beef. This tasty concoction was first brought to America by German immigrants and, as mentioned earlier, quickly became a popular item on menus across the country.

What is the difference between regular meatballs and Italian meatballs? ›

American meatballs are the biggest in size, with Italian and Swedish meatballs following on the depth chart. Italian meatballs call for seasonings like grated parmesan and oregano, while Swedish ones use seasonings like nutmeg and allspice. While it doesn't sound like a huge distinction, you'll notice it in the taste!

Swedish meatballs are slightly smaller than traditional meatballs — think the size of a golf ball — so that they can be easily picked up by a toothpick and popped into your mouth. As for the sauce, Swedish meatballs are cooked in a rich, creamy gravy that is most often created from bone broth and cream.

While both varieties include ingredients such as grated onion and panade (milk-soaked bread) or bread crumbs, plus the usual salt and pepper, Swedish meatballs traditionally use spices like allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, and sometimes ground ginger as flavoring.