Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat that has been combined with other ingredients, formed into the shape of a loaf, then baked or smoked. The final shape is either hand-formed on a baking tray or pan-formed by cooking it in a loaf pan. It is usually made with ground beef, although ground lamb, pork, veal, venison, poultry, and seafood are also used, sometimes in combination. Vegetarian adaptations of meatloaf may use imitation meat or pulses.

The cooked meatloaf can be sliced like a loaf of bread to make individual portions. It can easily become dry; therefore, various techniques exist to keep the dish moist, like mixing in bread crumbs and egg, covering it with sauce, wrapping it, or using moisture-enhancing ingredients in the mixture, such as filling it with fatty meats, cheeses, or vegetables.

History

Meatloaf is a traditional German, Czech, Scandinavian and Belgian dish, and it is a cousin to the meatball in Dutch cuisine.

North American meatloaf has its origins in scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since colonial times. Meatloaf in the contemporary American sense did not appear in cookbooks until the late 19th century.

National variations

Europe

The Austrian version of meatloaf is called ''faschierter Braten'' (literally " minced roast", from ''faschieren'', "to mince", and ''ein Braten'', "a roast"), also known as ''falscher Hase'', or 'fake rabbit'. Most of the time, it is not filled (as it may be in Germany), though the variation ''im Speckmantel'' involves wrapping the exterior in ham or bacon before baking. Often, it is served with mashed potatoes (when warm), or with Cumberland sauce (when cold).

The Belgian version of meatloaf is called ''vleesbrood'' (meatbread); however, ''fricandon'' is also used to refer to it in Dutch. In French, it is called ''pain de viande''. It is usually served warm and can then be served with various sauces, but can also be eaten cold with a loaf of bread.

''Rulo Stefani'' (), a Bulgarian meatloaf, is similar to the Hungarian ''Stefánia'' meatloaf, with hard-boiled eggs, and sometimes with chopped carrots and pickled gherkins in the middle.

In the Czech Republic, meatloaf is referred to as ''sekaná'' ('chopped'). It is optional to put hard-boiled eggs, gherkins, or wienerwurst inside.

Danish meatloaf is called ''forloren hare'' ('mock hare') or ''farsbrød'' ('ground-meat bread') and is usually made from a mixture of ground pork and beef with strips of bacon or cubed bacon on top. It is served with boiled or mashed potatoes and brown gravy sweetened with redcurrant jam.

Finnish meatloaf is called ''lihamureke''. It is entirely based on the basic meatball recipe. The only spices used are salt and pepper. It is not customary to stuff ''lihamureke'' with anything. The usual side dish is mashed potatoes, and ''lihamureke'' is usually served with brown sauce.

In Germany, meatloaf is referred to as ''Hackbraten'' (literally "ground roast", from ''Hackfleisch'', "ground meat", and ''ein Braten'', "a roast"), ''faschierter Braten'' (literally " minced roast", from ''faschieren'', "to mince", and ''ein Braten'', "a roast"), ''Wiegebraten'', ''falscher Hase'' ("false hare" or "faux hare") and ''Heuchelhase'' ("mock-hare"). In some regions, it often has boiled eggs inside. '' Fleischlaib'' does literally mean "meat-loaf", but is actually another name for ''Leberkäse'' (literally "liver-cheese"), which is not a meatloaf.

In Greece, meatloaf is referred to as ''rolo'' (Ρολό) and it is usually filled with hard-boiled eggs, although several other variations exist.

Stefania meatloaf () or Stefania slices are a type of Hungarian long meatloaf baked in a loaf pan, with three hard-boiled eggs in the middle, making decorative white and yellow rings in the middle of the slices.

In Italy, meatloaf is called ''polpettone'' and can be filled with eggs, ham and cheese, and other ingredients.

The Macedonian ''rolat'' is a similar dish to the chiefly Arab, though also Persian and South Asian, kofta. Ground beef is rolled and cooked until brown. It can be cooked with vegetables and various sauces.

The Dutch version of meatloaf is called ''gehaktbrood'' and can be eaten warm or cold. '' Slavink'' is sometimes thought of as a small meatloaf, though it is pan-fried.

In Polish cuisine, the dish called ''pieczeń rzymska'' ("Roman roast") or ''klops'' is made of ground pork, beef, onions and garlic, with an obligatory hard boiled egg inside.

In Romanian cuisine, there is a meatloaf dish called ''drob'', similar to other minced meat dishes in the region like the Bulgarian ''rulo Stefani'' or the Hungarian ''Stefánia'' meatloaf. The major difference is that ''drob'' is always made with lamb organs (or a mixture of lamb organs and pork or veal), and the hard boiled eggs in the centre of the ''drob'' are optional.

Swedish meatloaf is called ''köttfärslimpa'' (literally "minced meat-loaf", from ''köttfärs'', "minced meat", and ''limpa'', "loaf") and is usually made from a mixture of ground pork and beef. It is served with boiled or mashed potatoes, brown sauce gravy, often made from the meat juice that comes from cooking the meatloaf, and lingonberry jam. It is also used thinly sliced as a spread on sandwiches.

In the UK, there are regional pork meatloaf dishes known as haslet, which can be eaten cold or hot.

In British English, haslet or acelet is a pork meatloaf with herbs, originally from Lincolnshire. The word is derived from the Old French hastilles meaning entrails. In Lincolnshire, haslet (pronounced '/ˈhæslɪt/' locally) is typically made from stale white bread, minced pork, sage, salt and black pepper. It is typically served cold with pickles and salad, or as a sandwich filling. In England, it is occasionally sold on a delicatessen counter.

Asia

In Korea, there are meatloaf dishes called tteok-galbi and neobiani.

''Khuchmal'' () is served with mashed potatoes cooked over the ground meat.

'' Embutido'' (not to be confused with the Spanish '' embutido'') is made of well-seasoned ground pork, raisins, minced carrots, sausages, and whole boiled eggs. The meat is molded into a roll with the sausages and hard boiled eggs set in the middle. Another variation of the dish involves wrapping the meatloaf with pork crow or mesentery. It is then wrapped in aluminum foil (historically, banana leaves) and steamed for an hour. The cooked ''embutido'' may be stored in freezers. It is usually served fried and sliced for breakfast.

''Embutido'' is sometimes confused with '' morcón'' (also not to be confused with Spanish '' morcón''), due to their similarity in appearance. However, ''morcón'' is a beef roulade, not a meatloaf.

'' Hardinera'' is a Filipino meatloaf made with diced or ground pork topped with sliced hard-boiled eggs, pineapples, carrots, bell peppers, peas, tomatoes, and raisins, among others.

In Turkish cuisine, there is a version of meatloaf called ''dalyan köfte'' or ''rulo köfte''; it is typically filled with carrots, peas, and whole boiled eggs.

The Vietnamese meatloaf version is called ''chả''. It is boiled rather than baked or smoked. There are many versions of ''chả'' that differ in the ingredients used.

South America

Chilean meatloaf, known as ''Asado Alemán'' (German roasted meat) is a staple of southern Chilean cuisine, especially in areas known for having been influenced by the arrival of German immigrants during the 18th and 19th century. The most common recipe nowadays consists of ground beef, carrots, sausages, boiled eggs and breadcrumbs, cooked in the oven and normally served with a side-dish of mashed potatoes or rice.

The Cuban version of meatloaf is called ''pulpeta''. It is made with ground beef and ground ham, and stuffed with hard boiled eggs, and it is cooked on the stovetop. The dish was brought to public attention, albeit mistakenly referred to as a sausage, in the second episode of the third season of ''The Cosby Show'', entitled "Food for Thought". However, due to Cuba's strict laws regarding the purchasing of meat products, especially beef, meatloaf is not a common dish in Cuba.

Jewish cuisine

In Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, meatloaf is called ''Klops'' () and can be served cold or hot. It is sometimes filled with whole boiled eggs.

Middle East

In Lebanon, ''kibbeh'' (ground beef or lamb mixed with Bulgar) can sometimes be formed into a loaf and baked. It is sometimes made from raw meat.

North America

Mexican meatloaf is known as ''albondigón'' and is small in size.

The first recorded recipe for the modern North American meatloaf dates from the late 1870s. Those preparing the dish were told to chop up whatever meat was on hand, the meat most likely being beef. To that they added salt, pepper, onion, egg and milk-soaked bread. This meatloaf was originally served as a breakfast food.
In the US during the Great Depression, cooking meatloaf was a way for families to stretch the food budget by using an inexpensive type of meat and left-over ingredients. Along with spices, it was popular to add cereal grains, bread or saltine crackers to the meatloaf to add bulk and stretch the meat. This tradition of additions still lives on, but with new goals: primarily, producing a lower-fat dish with superior binding and consistency.

Meatloaf recipes in North America are typically made with a sauce or relish, often applied before cooking. Many recipes call for a tomato sauce to be poured over the loaf, which forms a crust during baking. A simple brown or onion gravy or a can of cream of mushroom soup can substitute for tomato-based sauce, but the meatloaf is prepared in a similar manner. Barbecue sauce, tomato ketchup, or a mixture of ketchup and prepared mustard may also be used. This style of meatloaf may be topped with a "meatloaf sauce" consisting of ketchup and brown sugar. Another variety of meatloaf, in the same style, is prepared by "frosting" the loaf with mashed potatoes, drizzling a small amount of butter over the top, and then browning it in the oven.

Some recipes are even more imaginative. There are vegetarian meatloaves, vegan meatloaves, even meatloaves made with ahi tuna, French fries, Fritos, Spanish chorizo, mint and pine nuts. Sculpted versions such as feetloaf are also becoming popular, especially on social media.

Meatloaf in North America is normally served warm, as part of a main course, but it can also be sliced as a cold cut (and then used in sandwiches). This dish can be considered a typical comfort food in Canada and the US, and so it is served in many diners and restaurants. Indeed, meatloaf is said to have attained iconic comfort food status along with hamburgers, fried chicken and mac and cheese. In a 2007 poll by ''Good Housekeeping'', meatloaf was the seventh-favorite dish of Americans.

In Puerto Rican cuisine, meatloaf is known as ''albondigón'' or ''butifarrón al horno''. Puerto Rican style meatloaf is made with ground pork, beef, turkey, adobo, Worcestershire sauce, milk, ketchup, potatoes, red beans, breadcrumbs, parsley, and a hard-boiled egg in the middle.

See also

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Meatloaf Recipe with Onion Soup Mix

References

External links

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{{Dutch cuisine

Meat dishes
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Roman cuisine
American cuisine
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German cuisine
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Ground meat