Boulette mit Kartoffelsalat

Boulette mit Kartoffelsalat. There may be people who ponder whether the famous Berliner Fleischklopse is now Boulette. But that is small stuff against the scholarly dispute over the identical Bavarian siblings, who are mostly called Fleischpflanzerl (meat patties). Only one spelling is known of the Frikadelle, the more common variant in the German West, unless we leave out the ironic variant “Freakadelle”, which in Berlin-Kreuzberg before the fall of the century would have had what it takes to verbally suppress the “frikadelle”.

In Austria they are called “Faschierte Laibchen”, in German southwest the “Fleischküchle” is circulating, and since the kebab became popular, Berliners have also known the spicy Turkish köfte. In other words: practically every kitchen in the world has its dumplings made from minced meat from every imaginable animal, and the number of names is hardly less than the number of recipes.

But who needs recipes for that? A pound of mixed mince, two rolls soaked in milk, an egg, steamed Onions, salt and pepper – these are the basic features of the Berlin basic meatball as well as the meat patties and meatballs. For the eye, chopped parsley comes in, and everything else then lapses into the creative sector.

In contrast to hamburgers, doner kebab, and currywurst, the meatball does not matter whether you eat it warm or cold. Fresh from the pan, it cuts a fine figure with potato salad or fried potatoes, but it also tastes good on its own with the secret being the use of spices that differs depending on the cook or the restaurant.

Cold and compact, on the other hand, it fits into its main role as the center of the old Berlin buffet or the everyone-brings-something-with-party – then the use of mustard, which older natives still stylishly call “mustard”, would be worth considering. Every decent snack bar has them cold in their repertoire, although it should be noted that the demand is declining. The trend is likely to be more vegan variants, which, however, opens up a very wide field that the traditionalists are sure to disdain.