Bitterballen maken van stamppot stap voor stap

What is a Dutch “bitterbal”?

A bitterbal is the round version of the Dutch kroket: a deep-fried, breadcrumb-coated, creamy ragout-filled bite that’s the country’s default borrel and pub snack. The name comes from bittertje, a 17th-century Dutch glass of bitter spirits the snack used to accompany. Today, bitterballen are inseparable from Dutch vrijdagmiddagborrels (Friday-afternoon office drinks), pub menus across the country, and any social setting where mosterd-and-deep-frying-oil is acceptable. Restaurant chefs increasingly experiment with vegetarian, beet, or oxtail bitterballen, but the standard veal-ragout original remains dominant. Van Dobben and Kwekkeboom lead the supermarket frozen-bitterbal market.

In this clip, a Dutch chef makes them from stamppot: “Ik ga namelijk bitterballen maken van stamppot. Andijviestamppot. Die ga ik gebruiken voor de balletjes.”