Frikadeller

Frikadeller are Danish pan-fried meatballs made from minced pork and veal with onion, served hot or cold on rye bread.

Frikadeller are everyday fare in Danish home cooking, and they also appear on the open rye sandwiches called smørrebrød. The same mixture can be eaten hot from the pan or cold on bread, so one dish covers both a warm meal and a light lunch.

What it really is

Minced pork is the main meat, with veal added to the mix. It is combined with finely chopped onion, egg, flour, milk and black pepper, then shaped by hand into small flattened rounds and fried in a pan until browned on both sides and cooked through. The flour and milk loosen the mixture and help keep the meatballs soft inside. They are pan-fried rather than deep-fried, so the outside browns while the centre stays moist.

How it's served

• Hot from the pan, served with boiled potatoes and gravy as a main course.
• Cold, on buttered rye bread, as one of the open sandwiches of smørrebrød.
• Simply garnished, with pickled cucumber or raw onion on the side where the kitchen offers them.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the meat: minced pork, with veal if the kitchen uses it, and state that the dish is pan-fried.
• Flag wheat from the flour, eggs and milk.
• Name the bread. Rye is a cereal allergen, so say "rye bread" on the menu.
• Mustard is a declarable allergen, so flag any remoulade or mustard served with the dish.
• Say whether it comes hot on potatoes or cold on rye, since the two are sold differently.