Brown Café · Fried Ragout Balls
Bitterballen
Photo: Takeaway / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
The molten filling inside is essentially a savoury beef stew that's been thickened until stiff enough to roll into a ball and coat in breadcrumbs.
A rich veal or beef ragout is thickened with a roux, chilled until firm, then rolled into balls, breaded and deep-fried until the outside is crunchy and the inside stays gooey. Amsterdam's brown cafés serve them by the plateful with mustard for dipping, especially alongside beer.
Why it's made this way: They grew out of the Dutch habit of using thickened leftover stew to make an economical bar snack that could be prepared ahead and fried to order.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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