meat loaf

A meatloaf with a tomato sauce topping.

Meatloaf is a meat dish consisting of ground meat (usually ground beef or a combination of ground beef and lamb, or pork), which is formed into a loaf shape and baked or smoked. The loaf shape is formed by either cooking it in a loaf pan, or forming it by hand on a flat baking pan. The meatloaf has European origins; minced meat loaves were cooked already in the 5th century, and were mentioned in the famous Roman cookery collection "Apicius".^[1] Meatloaf is a traditional German, Belgian and Dutch dish, and it is a cousin to the Italian meatball. American meatloaf^[2] has its origins in scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since Colonial times.^[2] The American version is usually topped with ketchup^{[citation needed]}.

The dish

A meatloaf served with sauce.

Many meatloaf recipes^[3] are interchangeable with meatball recipes, the distinction coming from shape and from the accompaniments or choice of sauce. Sometimes tomato sauce or ketchup is in the meat and baked along with the meat. Meatloaf is a versatile dish. The ground meat is mixed with a binder such as eggs and breadcrumbs, small pieces of bread soaked in milk (or red wine or another liquid), or wheat germ, finely ground almonds, or oatmeal, to make it more dough-like. Salt, spices and herbs (such as parsley), as well as chopped vegetables (such as onions, green peppers and celery), may also be added. Some recipes add strips of bacon on top.^[4][5] Meatloaves may be filled with eggs, cheese, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, or a combination of these ingredients. A regular oven is not required. Meatloaf can be cooked in a slow cooker or in a microwave oven. To ensure even cooking in a microwave oven, and due to the small size of such ovens, it is best cooked in individual portions (for instance, in a mug) or as a small loaf.

In the United States

In many parts of the United States, meatloaf is a popular dish. In 2007, it was voted the 7th favorite dish in the United States according to the Good Housekeeping website.^[1]

During the Great Depression, cooking meatloaf was a way to stretch the food budget for families, using an inexpensive type of meat and other ingredients as leftovers; along with spices,^[2] it was popular to add cereal grains to the meatloaf to stretch the meat. The tradition lives on with the merits of producing a lower-fat dish with superior binding and consistency. The meatloaf is typically eaten with some kind of sauce or relish. Many of these recipes^[3] call for pasta sauce or tomato sauce to be poured over the loaf to form a crust during baking. The tomato-based sauce may be replaced with simple brown gravy or onion gravy, but the meatloaf is prepared in a similar manner. Barbecue sauce, tomato ketchup, or a mixture of both tomato ketchup and mustard may also be used.

Another variety of meatloaf is prepared by frosting it with mashed potatoes, drizzling it with a small amount of butter, and browning in the oven.

One additional way meatloaf is eaten in the US is as a meatloaf burger. A slab of meatloaf is placed on a hamburger bun, and topped with normal hamburger fixings.

The meatloaf is normally served warm as part of the main course, but can also be found sliced as a cold cut. Meatloaves can also be considered as a typical Midwestern comfort food,^[6] or even soul food.^[7]

Other countries

Denmark

Danish meatloaf is called forloren hare (i.e. "mock hare") or "farsbrød" (i.e. "stuffing bread") and is usually made from a mixture of ground pork and beef with strips of bacon on top. It is served with boiled potatoes and brown sauce sweetened with red currant jelly.^[8]

Germany

In Germany, meatloaf is referred to as Hackbraten, Faschierter Braten or Falscher Hase (i.e. "mock hare").

Hungary

Stefánia szelet^[9] or Stefania slices are a type of Hungarian long meatloaf baked in a loaf pan, with 3 hard boiled eggs in the middle, making decorative white and yellow rings in the middle of the slices.

Macedonia

Rolat is a similar dish to the Muslim kofta. Ground beef is rolled and cooked until brown. It can be cooked with vegetables and various sauces.

Philippines

There is a meatloaf dish called embotido made of well seasoned ground pork, minced carrots, sausages, and whole boiled eggs. The meat is molded into a roll with the sausages and hard boiled eggs set in the middle. It is then wrapped in aluminum foil (in the olden times, banana leaves) and steamed for an hour. The cooked embotido may be stored in freezers. It is usually served fried and sliced for breakfast.

Bulgaria

Руло Стефани {Rulo Stefani}.^[10] The Bulgarian rulo Stefani meatloaf is similar to the Hungarian Stefánia meatloaf, with hard boiled eggs in the middle.

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, meatloaf is referred to as sekaná (i. e. "chopped", adjective). It is optional to put hard boiled eggs, gherkin or wiener wurst inside.

Greater Middle East

Kafta or kofta is a similar dish which the mixture can be made into hamburgers and kebabs. It usually has parsley in it.

References

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Cookbook:Meatloaf