Bitterballen, Dutch meat balls. (2024)

FAQs

What does bitterballen mean in English? ›

Bitterballen (plural of bitterbal) are a Dutch meat-based snack, made by making a very thick stew thickened with roux and beef stock and generously loaded with meat, refrigerating the stew until it firms, and then rolling the thick mixture into balls which then get breaded and fried.

The name has nothing to do with a bitter taste. A bitterbal is called that because it used to be served with the drink 'bitter'. A bitter here is genever (gin), or another strong alcoholic herbal drink.

Bitterballen are actually Dutch meatballs, a very popular snack served at bars along with beer. Sometimes they are shaped as logs or sometimes as balls. If I were to describe what they taste like, the closet I can come up with is deep fried mushrooms, is your mouth watering yet?

The first proof of bitterballen dates from the time the Batavians lived in Holland (200 years BC) in the province of Gelderland. They used to eat roasted ox with vegetables and bread.

Klootzak (literally: "ball sack") is the scrotum, and is a common insult.

So whats the difference between a bitterbal and a kroket? Well not much really... bitterballen are very alike kroketten in their ingredients, preparation and flavour. The only difference is the form or shape of either product - one is a ball and the other is a cylinder shape.

You can easily heat up the bitterballs in the airfryer. Would you rather buy deep-frying snacks for the fryer? This is also possible with us!

Pork remains the most popular meat in the Netherlands, with an annual share of 36.5 kilograms per person, followed by poultry (22.1 kg), beef (15.4 kg), veal (1.3 kg) and goat meat (1.2 kg).

The ritual of eating these luscious lumps of sugary dough started with a less-than-appetizing story, perhaps meant as a warning to eat well before the advent of mid-winter want. Eating oliebollen was considered a surefire way to ward off the whims of a cruel pagan goddess named Perchta.

What are typical Dutch snacks? ›

The Dutch love for sandwiches — be it as broodjes or boterhams — comes from a much older, ancestral love for bread. Even in the 17th century, bread was a hot topic (or should we say toasty topic 😉) in the Netherlands.

When you're in Amsterdam, you have to try bitterballen. This savoury Dutch snack is one of the city's most famous food staples - and it's one hell of a tasty treat. Loved by locals and tourists alike, bitterballen is a breaded meatball that's been deep fried - a bit like a croquette but sphere-shaped.

bitter, (bitterachtig) dour, Adj.

Kleinigkeit f (zu essen), Imbiss m.

Dutch croquettes, or kroketten as we call them are a very popular snacks in The Netherlands. They are sold in Dutch fast food restaurants, so called 'snackbars'.