Meatballs
Polpette
Italy
Italian meatballs of beef and pork, often with garlic, parsley, and Parmigiano, simmered in tomato sauce. In southern Italy they are smaller and served as a secondo.
Original eatfuls sticker artwork
What it is
A closer look at Polpette.
Italian meatballs of beef and pork, often with garlic, parsley, and Parmigiano, simmered in tomato sauce. In southern Italy they are smaller and served as a secondo.
What to look for
Know it when you find it.
Mixed beef-pork, soft not dense, slow-simmered in tomato, often with a braciole alongside.
Where it belongs
Origins and
traditions.
Food rarely respects a border. These are the places the dataset connects most strongly to Polpette.
Names around the table
One food, more than one name.
Keep exploring
If this caught your eye…
Georgia
Caul-Wrapped Meatballs
Აფხაზურა
Spiced minced pork and beef patties wrapped in caul fat and fried or baked, then served with barberries and pomegranate.
Tunisia
Ain Sbaniouria
عين صبنورية
A Tunisian meat roll of spiced minced meat stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, simmered in a tomato sauce, named 'Spanish eye' for its appearance.
Black Sea Region, Turkey
Akçaabat köftesi
A Black Sea köfte from Akçaabat: minced beef shaped by hand and grilled over charcoal.
Aragon, Spain
Salt Cod Meatballs
Albóndigas de bacalao
Albóndigas de bacalao are Aragonese salt-cod meatballs bound with egg, garlic, parsley, and breadcrumbs.
Andalusia, Spain
Meatballs in Sauce
Albondigas en salsa
Spanish meatballs of beef and pork simmered in a rich tomato-and-sherry or almond-and-saffron sauce, a classic tapa.
Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan
Arzuman Kufta
Arzuman küftəsi
Arzuman Kufta is an enormous celebratory Nakhchivan meatball built around a stuffed whole chicken and eggs, made for several people rather than as an everyday kufta.
Aruba
Balchi di Carni
Balchi Carni
Balchi di carni; Aruban meat balls; a traditional snack and side dish; deep-fried; a feature of roadside snack-bars; a staple of Aruban street food
Indonesia
Meatball Soup
Bakso
Indonesian beef meatballs served in clear broth with noodles, tofu, and condiments, a popular street food.