Ever wonder where the American culinary classic meatloaf really came from? Would you believe the dish can be traced back for centuries?
This week, the Atlantic delves into the culinary inspirations behind the simple meatloaf. An ancient Roman cookbook featured a budding meatloaf combination, as did 17th-century French cooking and the culinary works of the 18th century Pennsylvanian Dutch. But the Industrial Revolution was key to meatloaf's longstanding place in our cuisine, along with the invention of the mechanical meat grinder. The dish then thrived through the Depression and other economically difficult times.
Do you love meatloaf?
Read more: From Budget Fare to Culinary Inspiration, the History of Meatloaf
Related: How to Make Marvelous Meatloaf
(Images: Quentin Bacon/Gourmet)
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I love meatloaf, but was only introduced to the traditional beef version as an adult. Throughout childhood, my family ate a Chinese equivalent, made of pork (with mushrooms and water chestnuts, not unlike pot-sticker filling) and steamed.
An excellent beginner cook food. You can do just about anything to a batch of ground beef and bake in a 9x13 at 350 until done and it will work for dinner.
I load it with onions carrots, celery, mushrooms, even corn and black beans and add oatmeal, S+P, an egg and some milk. Coat loaf thickly with ketchup.
Frankly, the ketchup can vary, but roomie really goes for it. Makes great sandwiches the day after.
I love meatloaf but a lot of people don't like it. When I think about it, I admit it seems really unappealing. I mean it's just a giant loaf of ground meat. That's not very interesting. But hey, I think it's delicious, especially with the right tomato topping/glaze. Now I just need to find other meatloaf lovers so it's worth making.
I love meatloaf when it doesn't have an excessive amount of bread and egg filler. It needs to be meatloaf.
My family really enjoys Alton Brown's meatloaf. We leave the carrot and red pepper out though, I like my veggies on the side rather than in the meat. Its delicious and freezes really well. I just made two for a friend that had twins, and her family loved it too.