Bitter+Ballen

Bitterballen Bitterballen is a Dutch snack that is a pleasure to eat. Bitterballen was originally created in 200 B.C. as a "leftover" snack. People would usually mix the leftovers of a typical meal into a ball and cook it into a bite sized piece. Then, in the 17th century when Spain occupied The Netherlands, Spanish soldiers started to fry bitterballen and changed it to how it is today. Some countries where bitterballen is found and made are Netherlands and Belgium. Bitterballen is just like a ball of fried gravy. A similar snack to bitterballen is kroketten. Kroketten is also a fried food roll that has very similar ingredients.

Bitterballen is simple to make and doesn't use tons of ingredients. It is a mixture of beef, salt, pepper, butter, and roux. Roux is a mixture of fat and starch that makes things like soups, stews, gravy, and sauces thicker. . To make bitterballen you will mix all the ingredients until a good paste, then you will roll the paste into a ball for the creative shape, then dip it in a mix with breadcrumbs and eggs to get the breading. When the ball is all breaded you will fry the ball to get the fried and crunchy texture. Bitterballen should not be too crunchy, and it should melt in your mouth. It is usally served with a mustard called groninger.

On the trip you can find bitterballen pretty much anywhere, it is usually served as an appetizer or a snack. You can find it from a bar to a nicer sit down restaurant in Netherlands and Belgium.