Information AboutCroquette |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CROQUETTE | |
| fast food | |
| snack foods | |
| dutch cuisine | |
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The croquette or '''croquet''' is a parcel of food such as Minced Meat or Vegetable s, shaped into a cylinder or circle, encased in breadcrumbs and deep fried. HISTORY The croquette was actually a Dutch invention, and was introduced in the Netherlands at the start of the 20th century. In , Fish , Vegetables , Nuts and Potatoes . Kwekkeboom introduced the croquette to the Netherlands and started producing croquettes filled with good-quality beef. The croquette became hugely popular, and nowadays there are numerous suppliers, though quality and price can differ greatly. Suppliers have experimented with all sorts of croquette fillings, including Salmon , Asparagus , Satay , Shrimp , Cheese , and Goulash . The most common kroketten are the normal kroket (the cheapest), kalfskroket (veal), rundvleeskroket (contains at least 20 % beef) and goulashkroket. Many places sell the Kwekkeboom-kroket in addition to the normal kroket. Some (quite fancy) restaurants have special kroketten on their menu, like shrimp kroketten or salmon kroketten. PRODUCTION In the Netherlands, the croquette is basically a thick Ragoût , fried in Breadcrumbs . It is the ragoût – and the meat with which it is made – which is the defining ingredient. Different sorts of meat are used, depending on the quality and desired flavour. The cheapest croquettes are made from Horse meat; a little better are Pork croquettes; and the best are those made with Beef . Often different meats are mixed; the quality of the croquette is then expressed in the percentage of a certain kind of meat it contains. To produce the ragoût, a clear soup is drawn from hand-selected and weighed Spices , a critical process. Separately a Roux made out of Butter and Flour is created and together with the clear soup, the chopped meat and some Gelatine , the mixture is steamed in a large kettle. After the mixture has cooled, a layer of Breadcrumbs and Eggwhite is added. The croquette is then deep-fried. Elsewhere, a croquette is generally prepared from a Salpicon or Forcemeat of meat or fish, combined with a thick white or brown sauce. In addition to the basic element, mushrooms, chopped ham, diced vegetables, etc., may be added. Croquettes can also be made of mashed potato, rice, pasta etc. There are also sweet croquettes made of rice, semolina or fruit combined with Crème Pâtissièrre (French pastry cream).'' Larousse Gastronomique '', Crown Publishers (1961) (''Translated from the French, Librairie Larousse, Paris (1938)'') ASSORTED FACTS Croquettes, and ''frikandels'' (and other hot snacks like Hamburger s) are often sold in snack bars, in particular in '' Automatiek en'' (see also Automat ). They are often located at Railway Station s, or in busy shopping streets. One large chain of these automatieks is FEBO . Croquettes are often eaten in a bread bun, often with mustard. Croquettes are so popular in the Netherlands that even McDonalds sells a disk shaped croquette in a bun: the McKroket. THE DUTCH ''KROKET'' The ''kroket'' is a Deep Fried snack, made with meat, popular in The Netherlands . It is crunchy on the outside, but very soft and smooth on the inside. Each year 300 million croquettes are sold in the Netherlands (which works out to about 18 per person annually), making it the second most-popular snack in the country. This number does not include croquettes made and consumed in domestic kitchens, likely to number in the millions as well. Its popularity is only surpassed by the '' Frikandel '', a minced-meat hot dog, of which about 580 million are sold each year. Vendors have often tried to market and sell it in other countries, but have failed, even in neighbouring countries like Belgium and Germany . Potato croquettes, however, are quite popular in some parts of Germany and in Belgium. The American Automat Bamn in the East Village sells a Macaroni And Cheese kroket. CROQUETTES IN OTHER COUNTRIES dish. Brazil : Croquettes or croquetes, primarily made from beef, are sold in parts of Brazil as German fare. Mexico : Croquettes are usually made of tuna and potatoes. The Czech Republic : Krokety are small round balls usually made from potatoes, eggs, flour, butter, and salt that are deep fried in oil. This variety can be ordered in most restaurants as a side dish as well as bought frozen and prepared at home. Cuba : It is usually made of ham, pork or chicken, or a mix of all three in combination. Hungary "Krokett" is a small cylindrical dish made similar the Czech variety: potatoes, eggs, flour, butter, and salt that are deep fried in oil. A touch of nutmeg is also used typically. This variety can be ordered in most restaurants as a side dish as well as bought frozen and prepared at home. India : A potato-filled croquette called alu-tikki is very famous in Northern India, served with a stew; mostly served as snacks at home it is also popularly sold by road-side vendors. Sometimes it is called "cutlet" and eaten just like that or a fast food variation is inside a hamburger bun (like a vegetarian burger). Bangladesh : Similar to the alu-tikki, alu-chop is a common potato filled croquette served throughout Bangladesh, primarily as a snack. Rather than being entirely filled with potato, alu-chop traditionally has a meat-filled center, most often beef. ( コロッケ ) is a very popular fried food, widely available in supermarkets or butcher shops, as well as from specialty ''korokke'' shops. Generally patty-shaped, it is mainly made of potatoes with some other ingredients such as vegetables (e.g. onions and carrots) and maybe less than 5% meat (e.g. pork or beef). It is often served with Tonkatsu (とんかつ) sauce. Cylindrically-shaped ''korokke'' are also served, which more closely resemble the French version, where seafood (prawns or crab meat) or chicken in white sauce (ragout) is cooled down to make it harden before the croquette is breaded and deep-fried. When it is served hot, the inside melts. This version is called "cream ''korokke''" to distinguish it from the potato-based variety. It is often served with no sauce or tomato sauce. Unlike its Dutch cousin, croquettes made mainly of meat are not called ''korokke'' in Japan. They are called ''menchi katsu'' (めんち かつ), short for minced meat cutlets. Indonesia: Kroket is also one of the most popular snack items in Indonesia introduced during the Dutch colonialization. The Dutch frikadel or frikandel should not be confused with the German frikadelle; the latter is more like a meatball. Philippines : the Filipino 'croqueta' is derived no doubt from the Spanish colonial era, but unlike the bechamel-filled croquetas in Spain, Filipino croquetas are made with mashed potatoes and chopped meat or fish, usually leftovers. Like most Spanish-influenced foods in the Philippines, croquetas ares served mainly in middle and upper class households. URBAN MYTH The ingredients of the cheaper croquettes are the subject of a recurring Urban Myth , according to which Offal , Pig s' Eyes , Cow s' Udder s, Chicken s' Toes , and other Animal parts are added to the croquets to provide bulk and Flavour . All this is very unlikely since Dutch food law is very strict, and any supplier adding animal Waste to food risks being banned from the industry altogether. SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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