FOOD NEWS
The German Meat Patties That Preceded The Classic Hamburger
By Elaina Friedman
The word "hamburger" gets its name from the German town of Hamburg, where, as early as the 19th century, people ate patties made from chopped and seasoned beef.
Another name for those patties is frikadellen (also known as fleischklops or buletten). It resembles a flattened meatball and is not served with fries or hamburger fixings.
Instead of a bun, frikadellen has a Kaiser roll or stale bread that's soaked in water or milk and mixed into the meat to prevent it from drying out during the cooking process.
Like a meatball, and unlike an American burger, traditional German frikadellen may contain ground beef and pork, chopped onion and parsley, an egg, and spices like paprika.
It's often joined by mashed potatoes, a German potato salad dressed with mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, and onion, or non-starchy veggies like peas, carrots, or string beans.