Frikandellen and kroketten

I know there are a few people out there who read and/or follow this blog who will know what a frikandel is and who will know what a kroket is. Because they're Dutch. For everybody else: here's the explanation.

Originally a frikandel was a meatball, made of different types of meat. Then it became a flattened meatball (not as flat as a hamburger though) and then it became an elongated flattened meatball. It became smooth and the recipe was perfected. It looks like a long knackwurst, but has a taste all of its own. The meat used in frikandellen (the Dutch plural) is about 40% chicken, 25% pork, 5% horse. The remainder is filled up with water, bread crumbs, onions, taste enhancers, spices/herbs. People who make their own usually leave out the horse meat and the enhancers.

Kroketten originated in France quite a few years ago (three centuries even) and have been made into the top snack (along with the frikandel) in the Netherlands over the years. Basically they are ragout based (a mixture of meat and bechamel sauce), covered in breadcrumbs and fried. About 25% of manufactureres use horse meat in their kroketten. We also have the so-called bitterbal, which is basically a small round kroket. If you ever find yourself in a Dutch MacDonalds, why don't you try a MacKroket (emphasis on the Kro part of Kroket).

So, now you know...