Frikadeller: The classic Danish comfort food dish (2024)

ByLaura Hall,Features correspondent

Frikadeller: The classic Danish comfort food dish (1)Frikadeller: The classic Danish comfort food dish (2)Columbus Leth

At this time of year in Scandinavia, as nights grow colder and darker and people gather around fires and cosy tables, the meatball really shines. A classic comfort food beloved by all three Scandinavian nations – Denmark, Sweden and Norway – meatballs are simultaneously an easy weeknight meal for busy families and the kind of dish you'd see on the menu for a large gathering or celebration.

The origin of the meatball is more than a little unclear. According to food historian Nina Bauer, like the pancake, the meatball was invented simultaneously in many countries worldwide, so no one country can lay claim to it. It remains, however, a classic food across Scandinavia, though not without its differences.

"We all have different words for them," Bauer said. "In Denmark, we call a ball of meat that is pan-fried a frikadelle."

[jump to recipe]

The Danish meatball is a little rugged in texture and can be served in multiple ways – with a lightly spiced curry sauce, for example, or a rich gravy. A Swedish meatball, in comparison to the crispy, pan-fried Danish version, is often a little smaller, with a very smooth, even texture and a rounder shape. You shouldn't be able to spot any of the individual ingredients in a Swedish meatball, such as diced onions, plus it's eaten with lingonberry jam. In Norway, the meatball is larger and flatter and more like a meat patty, served with a brown gravy.

"In Denmark, we trace the roots of the frikadelle back to the 1600s, with a recipe, maybe German in origin, written for a sausage without a casing seasoned with saffron and ginger. This sausage without a casing becomes a meatball eaten in a soup and stew," said Bauer.

When meat grinders and cast-iron stove tops became common in Denmark in the mid-19th Century, everything changed for the meatball and its role in society.

"Before then, it was an aristocratic food because you needed a servant to work on the meat with a knife all morning," said Bauer. "The arrival of the meat grinder democratises it all and a kind of euphoria takes place, where people start to think about what to do with it."

Frikadeller: The classic Danish comfort food dish (3)Frikadeller: The classic Danish comfort food dish (4)Columbus Leth

Today, the modern-day Danish meatball comes in different guises. Trine Hahnemann, cook and author of the recently published cookbook Simply Scandinavian, said this is partly because there is a lot of minced meat available in Denmark, thanks to the many milking cows on its farms.

"When they get slaughtered, you have to make mincemeat out of them," she said. "You can't use the meat in any other way. So, we have many traditional meals that stem from this minced meat, including frikadeller (plural) and meatballs in curry sauce. I grew up eating meatballs in a celeriac sauce, and we always ate the leftovers the next day on rye bread."

Food waste is a big focus for Hahnemann, who notes that the meatball is so important that she has never written a cookbook without a frikadelle recipe in it. "It is a good way to get use out of your leftovers," she said. "You can put vegetables in them and stretch out the meat."

Hahnemann's meatball is quintessentially Danish, but she acknowledges that the addition of courgette and sparkling water is a little unusual. If you don't eat red meat, you can use minced chicken instead of pork and beef, advises Hahnemann. Or, for a vegetarian version, grate a variety of root vegetables to replace the minced meat.

Her best advice for making a light fried Danish meatball is to do something her family has been doing for generations. "If you want them to be not too heavy, go easy on the flour," she advised. "Don't use milk because that makes them heavy –use sparkling water. That's a piece of advice my grandmother passed on to me. It feels counter intuitive, but it makes the meatball lighter and fluffier."

Frikadeller: The classic Danish comfort food dish (5)Frikadeller: The classic Danish comfort food dish (6)Columbus Leth

Frikadeller with sweet and sour cucumber salad recipe

by Trine Hahnemann

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the salad:

250ml (1 cup) distilled vinegar (5% acid)

50ml (¼ cup) water

125g (4½oz) caster (superfine) sugar

1 tsp flaked sea salt (or kosher salt)

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 large cucumbers

For the meatballs:

250g (9oz) minced (ground) pork

250g (9oz) minced (ground) beef

1 courgette (zucchini), grated (shredded)

1 onion, grated (shredded)

2 garlic cloves, grated (shredded)

1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves

3 eggs, lightly beaten

50g (1¾oz) breadcrumbs

3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

50ml (¼ cup) sparkling water

50g (½ stick) salted butter

2 tbsp neutral-tasting vegetable oil

Method

Step 1

Start with the cucumber salad because it needs to pickle for 30 minutes. Whisk together the vinegar, water and sugar. When all the sugar has dissolved, add the salt and some ground black pepper, along with the mustard seeds and peppercorns. Halve the cucumbers lengthways, scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon, then cut into half-moons 5mm (¼in) thick. Place the cucumbers in the brine, gently folding now and then, until ready to serve.

Step 2

To make the meatballs, mix the minced meats, courgette, onion, garlic, thyme and eggs together and mix well. Fold in the breadcrumbs and flour and mix again. Lastly, mix in the sparkling water and season with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Melt the butter and oil in a frying pan (skillet). Use a spoon and your free hand to shape the meat mixture into medium-sized oval balls. Place in the butter and oil and fry on all sides until golden brown.

Step 4

Transfer to an ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking. Take the cucumber out of the brine (you can reuse the brine, so don't throw it away), and serve it in a bowl alongside the frikadeller.

(Recipe from Simply Scandinavian by Trine Hahnemann/Quadrille, photography ©Columbus Leth)

BBC.com's World's Table "smashes the kitchen ceiling" by changing the way the world thinks about food, through the past, present and future.

---

Join more than three million BBC Travel fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos andcan't-miss news delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Recipe

Features

Frikadeller: The classic Danish comfort food dish (2024)

FAQs

What is frikadeller made of? ›

In Denmark, traditionally, they are made from minced veal, pork or beef (or a blend of two of these meats); chopped onions; eggs; milk (or water); bread crumbs (or oatmeal or flour); salt; and pepper; then formed into balls by using a tablespoon to get the right size frikadelle and flattened somewhat.

What do you eat frikadellen with? ›

The best side dishes to serve with Frikadellen are mashed potatoes, yellow rice, marinara sauce, grilled beets, applesauce, sautéed mushrooms, chicken Caesar salad, cauliflower Parmesan, carrot mash, roasted garlic bread, sauerkraut, green bean almondine, quinoa salad, creamed spinach, and apple slaw.

What is the name of the most popular Danish comfort food? ›

Denmark's national food dish: Stegt flæsk

And the winning dish, a classic pork recipe 'stegt flæsk med persillesovs', was no surprise. The crispy pork with parsley sauce and potatoes is a very old dish that has won the hearts, and tummies, of Danes for centuries.

Where did the frikadelle come from? ›

"In Denmark, we trace the roots of the frikadelle back to the 1600s, with a recipe, maybe German in origin, written for a sausage without a casing seasoned with saffron and ginger. This sausage without a casing becomes a meatball eaten in a soup and stew," said Bauer.

What is the difference between a meatball and a frikkadel? ›

Many variations of the frikkadel notwithstanding, what sets the traditional South African frikkadel apart from its meatball cousins are three things: the meat is beef mince; the bread is soaked in milk; and the dish is baked in the oven. Just like ouma used to make it.

How many calories in a Danish Frikadeller? ›

Nutrition Information

Calories: 330; Total Fat: 17g; Saturated Fat: 7g; Cholesterol: 110mg; Sodium: 660mg; Total Carbohydrate: 15g; Dietary Fiber: <1; Protein: 27g.

What is the difference between a burger and a Frikadellen? ›

Also like meatballs, a traditional German recipe for frikadellen might call for a mix of ground beef and pork, chopped onion and parsley, an egg, and spices like paprika. In contrast, an American hamburger recipe might only include ground beef, salt, and pepper.

Can you reheat Frikadellen? ›

You can certainly reheat them in the microwave, on the stovetop, or even at low temperatures (10-15 minutes at 250° Fahrenheit) in the oven. While it might not sound appealing to everyone, I should mention that Frikadellen are served hot and cold.

How to cook Aldi Frikadellen? ›

Heating Instructions: Remove from packaging To fry heat from chilled: Heat a knob of butter in a pan and then fry the Frikadellen for approximately 6 minutes each side. Ensure product is thoroughly heated and piping hot throughout. Do not reheat.

What is the most eaten meat in Denmark? ›

While poultry is the most frequently consumed meat in Europe as a whole, beef is the most common choice in Denmark.

Why do danes eat so early? ›

"The tradition to eat lunch early, at 12, might be that lunch in Denmark is not a big meal like other European countries. It's a cold meal and often a lunch pack from home, often a few sandwiches," Professor Lotte Holm of the University of Copenhagen told The Local.

What is a famous Danish breakfast? ›

Typical Danish breakfast is bread (white or rye bread) with cream or soft cheese, sausage, cured cold meat or jam with coffee or tea. Among popular breakfast dishes are also cereals and porridge. One of the most interesting things and a very traditional Danish food you can eat in Copenhagen is øllebrød.

Which country generally eats Frikadeller? ›

Frikadeller are popular Danish meatballs that are usually made with ground pork, with the occasional addition of ground veal. These small meatballs have been prepared and consumed in Denmark for more than 200 years.

What is in a Dutch frikandel? ›

At its most basic, frikandel is a deep-fried sausage.

But make no mistake, it's not just any old deep fried sausage; frikandel is a long and skinless fried sausage mostly comprised of beef, pork and chicken.

What are frikkadels made of? ›

Frikkadel is a traditional Afrikaner dish consisting of usually baked, but sometimes deep-fried, meatballs prepared with onion, bread, eggs, vinegar and spices. These meatballs can be served hot or cold.

Are Swedish meatballs made of horse? ›

Ikea first said that it would not sell or serve any meatballs at its stores in Sweden after the Czech authorities detected horse meat in frozen meatballs that were labeled beef and pork, even though Ikea's own tests two weeks ago had not detected horse DNA.

What meat are Swedish meatballs made of? ›

The meatballs themselves are made with a combination of ground beef and pork, along with a touch of allspice and nutmeg. Onions and garlic add flavor and texture, and milk, egg, and breadcrumbs act as a binder. Finally, Parmesan cheese is a little “Cozy” touch that adds a subtle pop of flavor.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Annamae Dooley

Last Updated:

Views: 6116

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (65 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Annamae Dooley

Birthday: 2001-07-26

Address: 9687 Tambra Meadow, Bradleyhaven, TN 53219

Phone: +9316045904039

Job: Future Coordinator

Hobby: Archery, Couponing, Poi, Kite flying, Knitting, Rappelling, Baseball

Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.