A World of Meatballs

They’ve been around for ages and can be found across numerous cultures, but they’ve only earned their English name in recent times.

As food historians can testify, the term “meatball” is fairly new, most likely created in melting pot America to refer to the classic Italian-American version so often tucked into gooey subs, slathered in red sauce and spooned over noodles, or bobbing in soup.

“I can tell you that the idea is a lot older than the word,” said food historian Anne Mendelson. “Before about the early 1920s, you would have had a hard time finding ‘meatballs’ in an American cookbook, and the first entries were ‘Swedish meatballs.’ It took another 20-some years for ‘spaghetti and meatballs’ to start regularly showing up in cookbooks.”

But balls of meat are at least as old as written recipes, with references to the idea dating back to Apicius, a collection of Roman recipes regarded as the first cookbook, said Ken Albala, a food historian at the University of the Pacific in California.

“The real obsession comes in the Middle Ages,” he said. They would pound meat to make tough and less desirable cuts more palatable.

The world of meatballs is broad and ill-defined. “The only thing that makes this a category of analysis is that the meat sticks together,” Albala said. “It would defy logic, but I guess it has to have meat. You wouldn’t call a falafel a meatball, or a doughnut a meatball.”

Ready to brush up on your meatball basics? Here’s are 10 from around the globe:

• Polpette: Roughly translated from Italian into something pounded, this meatball is native to southern Italy and typically made with a mix of ground meat, spices, lemon zest and bread crumbs, Albala said. It’s the ancestor to the American meatball, minus the sauce and spaghetti.

• Kibbeh: Native to the Middle East, the mix of this fried or baked torpedo-shaped meatball varies by country, but typically consists of a bulgur and meat shell with a stuffing of ground lamb, beef or chicken.

• Albondigas: Spanish for meatball, these bite-sized balls are native to Spain, but show up in Latin cultures around the world where spices, sauces and meats differ from its cousin the polpette.

• Lions head: The Chinese have hundreds of meatball variations, Albala said. Loosely resembling a lion’s head, this large Shanghai meatball comes in white and red (with soy sauce) and usually contains pork, shrimp and cornstarch. It typically is stewed with vegetables that include cabbage, which is supposed to represent the lion’s imposing mane.

• Kotbulle: A 1960s party classic, the Swedish meatball is made with beef, cream and soaked white bread, Albala said. It is smaller and denser than other varieties and typically is roasted or fried, then served as an appetizer or over noodles.

• Klopse: Named for the former German city of Konigsberg (now Russian Kaliningrad), this German meatball has a base of ground beef, veal, pork, onions, bread crumbs and eggs, and is poached, then served with a white cream sauce.

• Frikadeller: Similar to the Swedish version, this Danish meatball starts round but is flattened a bit when pan-fried.

• Kofta: The generic name used for meatballs from India to the Middle East and North Africa. Kofta typically are spicy and often contain eggs, nuts and cheese, and also can come in seafood or vegetarian versions.

• Keftedes: Greek meatballs that usually contain lamb, parsley, thyme and mustard seeds.

• Faggot: It means a bundle of sticks, but ask for faggots in England and you’ll get baked rounds of pork, offal, bread crumbs, spices and onions.

Building a better meatball

Ask the experts how to build a better meatball, and the answers generally are a pretty underwhelming, “It depends.”

It’s more than a case of chefs adding their personal touch to recipes. It also depends largely on which culture — for many across the globe serve some sort of meatball — they draw their inspiration from.

The meat? Anything from turkey to tofu. The binder? Pureed rice, bread crumbs, cheese, pulpy potatoes, an egg or two, and cream all can do the trick. Cooking? Fry, bake, braise. Maybe, a combination.

“It’s all about personal taste,” said Koren Grieveson of Avec restaurant in Chicago. “There is no secret science.”

That’s good news, because if there’s no right way to do it, it’s probably harder to mess up.

Still, we were confident there must be ways to improve meatballs, regardless of variety. These are the tips we gathered from the pros.

o Ask the butcher for scraps

Meatballs are not the vehicle for expensive tenderloin and sirloin. Meatballs were created as a way of using scraps, so start there, says Daniel Holzman, chef and owner of The Meatball Shop in New York. Diverse cuts of meat add depth of flavor.

“We use a lot of prosciutto scraps,” said Liza Shaw, executive chef and owner of A16 restaurant in San Francisco. “There comes a point when you can no longer slice a leg of prosciutto.”

So get to know the butcher. They have stuff they don’t sell, from unusable shavings of meat to throwaway ends of ham. Grind it all in a blender or food processor, then add it to your meatball mix.

o Sausage meat

A quick way to skip the hassle of mixing meat is to take links of your favorite sausage and cut away the casing, Grieveson said. Mix the meat with bread crumbs, spices, etc. “Most sausages already have the required amount of fat,” she said.

o Fat doesn’t have to come from meat

There is plenty of debate on what the right fat content of a meatball should be, though most people put it in the 20 to 40 percent range. But that doesn’t mean the fat must only come from the ground meat, says former Top Chef candidate Tim Love of Dallas.

If the meat is the flavor, the fat is what protects that flavor, stroking each ground morsel with moistness while it cooks, he said.

Butter, cream or cheese are all good additions. Harder and stringier cheeses — including cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan — are good bets. A soft goat cheese will likely cause the meatball to fall apart.

o Liquid also is important

Add water, says Joey Campanaro of Little Owl restaurant in New York. “The mixture should be wetter than you imagined,” he said. “That keeps the meatballs moist. When you think about it, it’s the very same concept as soup dumplings. It emulsifies the fat as you fry it. The meatballs stay moist. Without the water, the fat is going to go right into the sauce. You are going to have a greasy sauce and a dry meatball.”

o Save old bread

“If you liked it when it was fresh, you are going to like it a day later or when it is frozen,” Shaw said.

Toast the moisture out of the bread without burning it, then run it through a food processor or crush by hand. When combined with liquid, bread serves as a binder for the meatball. It also helps to retain moisture.

o Use a light hand when mixing

Anytime you make something with bread, there is a fear of over mixing, Shaw said. “Mix it just enough but not too much,” she says. “If you knead it too much you are going to get a tough texture.” To be safe Shaw recommends mixing the wet ingredients and meat mixture separately, then combining the two.

o Size matters

The larger the meatball, the more work it takes keeping it together, Campanaro says. The outside also can overcook before the inside is done. About 1 1/2 inches — or the size of a golf ball — is a good size, he says. This also prevents them from falling apart while being eaten.

o Always make a tester

“You always have to make a tester meatball,” Holzman says. “Making meatballs is like baking. What you get at the end, you can’t really change.” Before making them all, cook one and taste it. If it falls apart, add more of a binder. If it’s too dense, add more liquid. This is also where you can adjust the seasoning, he says. “If it needs more salt, don’t be afraid to put more in.”

Monday Meatballs from A16

Start to finish: 2 1/2 hours (45 minutes active). Servings: 6

These meatballs were originally created as a Monday special by the chefs at A16 restaurant in San Francisco as a way to use up scraps leftover from butchering whole animals. They pay deference to the rustic cooking of southern Italy, but have taken on a life of their own. At dinner, the restaurant limits serving them to Mondays despite demand. But they are a regular on the lunch menu and among the most popular dishes at A16’s sister spot in Tokyo.

10 ounces boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or finely chopped in a food processor

10 ounces beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or finely chopped in a food processor

6 ounces day-old country bread, torn into chunks and ground in a meat grinder or finely chopped in a food processor

2 ounces pork fat, cut into 1-inch cubes and ground in a meat grinder or chilled in a freezer for 15 minutes then finely chopped in a food processor

2 ounces prosciutto, chopped and ground in a meat grinder or chilled in a freezer for 15 minutes then finely chopped in a food processor

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

2 teaspoons dried

oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2/3 cup fresh ricotta, drained if necessary

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup whole milk

28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, with juices

Handful of fresh basil leaves

Parmesan cheese, for grating

Extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

Heat the oven to 450 F. Coat two rimmed baking sheets with olive oil or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, bread, pork fat, prosciutto, parsley, 1 teaspoon of the salt, oregano, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. Use your hands to mix just until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs and milk just enough to break up any large curds of ricotta.

Add the ricotta mixture to the ground meat mixture and mix lightly with your hands just until incorporated. The mixture should feel wet and tacky.

Pinch off a small nugget of the mixture, flatten it into a disk and cook it in a small saute pan. Taste it and adjust the seasoning of the mixture with salt if needed.

Form the mixture into 1 1/2 -inch balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. You should have about 30 meatballs.

Bake, rotating the sheets once from the front to the back, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned. Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 300 F.

Sprinkle the tomatoes with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and then pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill fitted with the medium plate. Alternatively, put the entire can of tomatoes in a large bowl and then squeeze them into small pieces with your hands.

Pack the meatballs into a large roasting pan or two smaller roasting pans. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, cover tightly with foil, then braise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meatballs are tender and have absorbed some of the tomato sauce.

Sprinkle the meatballs with the basil. To serve, ladle meatballs with some of the sauce into a bowl. Grate Parmesan over the top, then drizzle with olive oil to finish.

per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 540 calories; 282 calories from fat; 31 g fat (11 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 186 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 36 g protein; 4 g fiber; 1,472 mg sodium.

Gravy Meatball Sliders

Start to finish: 2 hours. Servings: 12.

Joey Campanaro is a third generation Italian and these Italian-American meatballs are the same ones he remembers his grandmother braising in red sauce. Using the brown bits left in the pan after frying the meatballs adds flavor to the sauce. A few fresh arugula leaves give the sliders color and a garnish with a slight crunch.

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground veal

1 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for serving

3 large eggs

3 cups water, divided

1 cup panko (Japanese-style) bread crumbs

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups vegetable oil for cooking

1 Spanish onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped garlic

1 bunch fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

36 small buns

In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, veal, cheese, eggs, 1 cup of water, the bread crumbs, three-quarters of the parsley, and the salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix well. Shape into 2-inch balls.

In a large saute pan over medium-high, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and sear on all sides until well browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to a plate. Cover with foil and set aside.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan (do not discard any of the browned meat bits on the bottom of the pan). Return the pan to the heat and add the onion, garlic, basil, all but 1 tablespoon of the remaining parsley, and the fennel seeds. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the onion is slightly brown.

Add the tomatoes and remaining 2 cups of water. Cook the sauce for 30 minutes. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Serve the meatballs on buns and top with grated cheese and the remaining parsley.

Nutrition information per three sliders (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 588 calories; 218 calories from fat; 24 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 128 mg cholesterol; 54 g carbohydrate; 34 g protein; 4 g fiber; 1,109 mg sodium.

Kosher For Passover Meatballs

Start to finish: 35 minutes (15 minutes active). Servings: 6

Daniel Holzman, chef at The Meatball Shop in New York, pays homage to his mother with these no-nonsense Jewish meatballs from his childhood. He prefers Heinz ketchup because he likes the flavor and it’s “the way my mother used to make it.”

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup ketchup

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 1/4 pounds ground chuck

3 sheets matzo, broken into crumbs

1/3 pound chicken livers, chopped

2 eggs

Heat the oven to 400 F. Use 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat a rimmed baking sheet.

In a large saucepan over high, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and saute until soft. Add the salt, ketchup and parsley and cook for 3 minutes.

Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Once cool, add all remaining ingredients. Mix well by hand.

Form the mixture into golf ball-size meatballs. Roast for 20 minutes.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 323 calories; 147 calories from fat; 16 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 196 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrate; 27 g protein; 1 g fiber; 1,182 mg sodium.