The Evolution of the Classic Meatloaf Recipe
Often hailed as the classic All-American dish, the standard meatloaf served alongside rice or mashed potatoes with onion gravy is the staple component in any American diner or casual restaurant. It’s hard to find a diner that doesn’t serve this immensely delicious dish. You would probably have better luck trying to spot an Italian restaurant that doesn’t serve pasta. A major chunk of today’s middle aged population would remember having some variation of a “family meatloaf recipe” being a regular on the dinner table. Meatloaf sandwiches would also make great work lunches the following day.
What is a Meatloaf
The conventional recipe includes a relatively small amount of minced meat that is mixed with breadcrumbs, eggs, and some herbs or spices for the flavor of choice. Although the standard meatloaf is made of ground beef, it is never uncommon to find the dish in variations of lamb, veal, or pork. Although a staple dish in many countries in Europe, the American version attributes its origins to scrapple, which is basically a concoction of ground pork and cornmeal which was dished out by German-Americans from the Colonial age.
Familiarity Breeds Boredom
It’s probably because of the fact that the meatloaf is so commonly seen around that it really hasn’t got the appreciation it is due. This humble American dish has a rich history behind it. The meat loaf has a place in the history of most international cuisines. While the Germans buried hard boiled eggs in their version, citizens of the ancient Roman Empire relished the meatloaf with wine-soaked bread seasoned with choice spices and pine nuts. People in Medieval Europe served the meatloaf alongside fresh fruit, essential seasonings, and nuts. All these variations of the meatloaf just show how innovative we can get with food.
Origins
Although it is generally considered to be comfort food today, the meatloaf was actually considered in America as a lifesaver food during the Great Depression – with millions of people thrown out of employment and incomes dwindling the American population found it hard to put food on the table. Thus the meatloaf became a standard dinner table option due to its characteristic “stretching” of meat by adding cheap variations of oats, breadcrumbs, and other leftovers
The meat grinder was an invention that provided a new lease of life to the meatloaf. While earlier, the meat had to be painstakingly minced by hand, the meat grinder made things insanely easy. It was rare to find a home that did not feature this breakthrough kitchen accessory. Thus the meat grinder was a major factor that went into ushering in the new wave of popularity for the modern meatloaf.
Evolution of the Meatloaf Recipe
Although the original recipe comes from home and has often symbolized the love of a mother, the reason it has withstood the test of time is that it is one of the master dishes of evolution. It is also a very versatile dish and is featured in many variations with ingredients like mushrooms, fine wines, exotic spices, unconventional meat combinations, and so much more. You can go to a high end restaurant or a crappy diner that serves its own special meatloaf recipe.
Nutritional Facts
Restaurant versions are generally spiked with sodium and a typical serving of meatloaf can add on around 1000 mg, which is a bit less than half the required amount of sodium required. When made at home, you can easily cut down on the sodium by adding healthy herbs and spices that are used to add flavor instead of salt. The addition of veggies such as carrots and peas add on to the nutritional quotient drastically. For instance, if you have a recipe that includes tomato ketchup without any additional salt, you have a perfectly healthy dish that serves all your nutritional needs. When you use oatmeal and no starchy vegetables along with the meat, you also get your fiber. A standard meatloaf contains about twelve to seventeen percent of the daily required iron. This is assuming a serving comes to around four ounces. You also get phosphorus and vitamin B-12. Iron and vitamin B-12 play a vital role in the formation of red blood cells while phosphorous reinforces your bones.
Opinions about the Perfect Meatloaf
Due to the fact that it is dish that is served from the heart, the concept of the perfect meatloaf has many versions among cooks and home makers.
The most discussed bone of contention among cooks is the choice of meat combinations that the perfect meatloaf should be comprised of. While the standard Midwest recipe requires the loaf to be made of all beef, down south the loaf is comprised of beef and pork in equal portions. The Northeast recipe commonly follows an equally distributed composition of beef, pork, and veal. This is actually a composition that suggests that the meatloaf actually has Italian origins.
While some say that dry bread crumbs form the best filling, others follow the school of thought that rice or barley makes a richer and fuller loaf. There are also those who swear by the texture that fresh bread soaked in milk provides to the perfect meatloaf. There is also the controversy surrounding the addition of eggs. While one group advocates the addition of eggs due to the fact that it helps to bind the ingredients together and adds a rich quality to the meatloaf, others say that adding eggs actually makes the loaf tough.
The other view is about the best kind of topping that the meatloaf should have. This is generally something that is debated among families. The variations are endless in this regard. From tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, bacon, mashed potatoes, fresh veggies to mustard and ketchup, the debate over the best topping is as expected a never ending one.
The Timeless Dish
Regardless of whether you savor a recipe from a high end restaurant or just want to quell your hunger pangs with the home made version, there is no debate to the fact the meatloaf as humble as it may seem is one of those dishes that has universal appeal. Taking into perspective the evolution that has gone into making the meatloaf one of the most popular American dishes, you can be confident that this dish will still remain high on the popularity charts for decades to come.
