History of Meatballs which is the hallmark of Indonesia and each region also has its own special meatballs. Who does not know this one food? chewy meat preparations doused in savory gravy. Surely everyone is familiar with this food called meatballs. In Indonesia, there are several regions that are famous for its iconic meatballs and are often referred to as the special food of the area, namely Malang and Solo. Of course these two regions have special characteristics or special seasonings in meatball processing. However, whatever the characteristics and seasonings, meatballs remain a favorite food of Indonesian people. Yes, of course, meatballs are a favorite food of Indonesian people.
Meatballs are generally served with meatballs or meat balls which are a mixture of ground meat and tapioca flour. One serving of meatballs is usually served with meatballs, tofu, bean sprouts, cabbage, vermicelli, eggs, and dumpling skin. Not only contains general things that are served into a serving of meatballs, but there are also dumplings, tomatoes, and others. Then pour the savory broth into the sauce and add a few pieces of chives and fried onions. How not tempted by this one food. Chicken broth that makes tempting nose to want to eat it.
Meatballs, are foods that are easily found. Ranging from vendors around to large restaurants though. There are even meatballs that are sold at the super market in a frozen state where we only need to heat the meatballs. The price of a portion of meatballs is very easy to reach by the public, alias does not drain the bag that is only Rp. 10,000 of you can already eat this food. There are even cheaper ones than 10 thousand rupiah, if you often find meatballs that are sold around by brothers. You can buy meatballs for only 5 thousand rupiahs, and are still served by the meatballs’ brothers.In the early 17th century the end of the Ming dynasty in Fuzhou. There lived a child named Meng Bo who lived in a small village. Meng Bo is famous as a good child and is devoted to his mother. His kindness and devotion have been mesmerized among his neighbors. Until one day, his mother who was getting old could not eat meat because her teeth had started unable to eat hard foods, such as meat. Even though meat is his mother’s favorite food. Just imagine, if you are in the position of his mother, you are a favorite with food, but you can not eat food that you like it. (Also read: Gudeg History)
For this reason, Meng Bo took the initiative to help his mother eat his favorite meat. Throughout the night, Meng Bo thought about how to process hard meat so that his mother could eat it. Until one day, Meng Bo saw his neighbor pounding sticky rice to be used as mochi cake. Seeing that, Meng Bo went straight to the kitchen and processed meat like the way his neighbors made processed mochi cakes. After the meat was tender, Meng Bo shaped it like a small sphere so that his mother could easily eat it, from the aroma of the processed meat stew it smelled a very delicious aroma. So that his mother was curious about the aroma of the meat broth made by Meng Bo and wanted to taste the food that had that delicious aroma.
After the processed meat is cooked, Meng Bo serves it to his mother. The mother was happy because it was not only delicious but the dough was easy for her to eat. Not only the mother, Meng Bo felt happy because her beloved mother could feel eating meat again. And now they often cook and eat meatballs as their main food. (Also read: History of the Kalasan Temple)
The story of Meng Bo’s devotion and the history of meatballs is widespread throughout the City of Fuzhou. Not only neighbors but many residents who came to learn to make meatballs made by Meng Bo. And the recipe continues to spread until it reaches Indonesia. Although the original recipe with the Indonesian recipe is different, the round shape of the meatballs and the soft texture remain the same as Meng Bo’s recipe.
History of Meatballs Entered in Indonesia
The meatballs that we know today are introduced by Chinese traders who live in Indonesia. However, the history of meatballs in Indonesia has changed in the original recipe where the use of pork is indeed unfamiliar in Indonesia. So the merchant replaced it with beef, as well as spices using spices that matched the Indonesian tongue. Although not similar to the original recipe, but tender meatballs remain a hallmark of this cuisine.
The Origin of the Meatballs Name
The origin of the name meatballs consists of two syllables namely Bak and So. Bak means pork and So which means soup. So it can be interpreted sauce with pork. In the plains of China, pork is common among residents. However, when entering Indonesia, pork is replaced with other meats such as beef, chicken, and fish (seafood). There is also in Hokkien which literally Bak-So means “ground meat”.
