National Meatball Day – March 9, 2023

National Meatball Day is celebrated on March 9th of every year. A meatball is ground, or minced meat rolled into a small ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, like bread crumbs, eggs, minced onion, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are several types of meatballs made using different kinds of meats and spices. Beef, pork, and veal are most popular, but they can be created with chicken, fish, or even vegan. Initially, meatballs were made only with spaghetti, but soon the little balls of meat were used in so many other dishes. Various recipes of dumplings can be found across Europe and Asia. From Iberia to India, there is a large variety of meatballs under the kofta family. The favorite dishes made using meatballs are Spaghetti and meatball, Swedish Meatball, Meatball Sub, Meatball Pizza, Turkey Meatballs, Lamb Meatballs, Porcupine Meatballs (made with rice), and a lot more. There are more than 50 varieties of meatballs served in New York only.

“Life is like a bowl of spaghetti. Every once in a while, you get a meatball.” – Sharon Creech

History of National Meatball Day

The creator, the reason for the creation and history behind National Meatball Day remains anonymous. It was probably invented by someone who loved meatballs and wanted to celebrate the food. Although, the meatball was first created around the 2nd century B.C in China. The Chinese recipe was called Four Joy Meatballs which was derived from Shandong cuisine. It’s believed that the meatball moved across the Mideast and finally traveled trade routes to make it throughout Europe. The ancient Roman cookbook Apicius included many meatball-type recipes. Early recipes involved in some of the earliest known Arabic cookbooks feature seasoned lamb rolled into orange-sized balls and coated with egg yolk and sometimes saffron. Meatballs were introduced to America by Italian-Americans through spaghetti and meatballs. Later on, these Italian-Americans would then have added meatballs to Italy. Many regional variations exist and have their form of meatballs.

Other Celebrations on March 9

March 9 is also celebrated as

• National Barbie Day
• False Teeth Day
• National Get Over It Day
• National Crabmeat Day
• World Kidney Day

How to celebrate National Meatball Day

National Meatball day can be marked by heartily having meatballs with any choice of your dish. You can have them made or can enjoy them at your favorite restaurant. Some restaurants observe this day by giving away free side orders of meatballs, while others may donate money to homeless shelters. Few restaurants organize fun happenings by conducting games based on meatballs. The real way to celebrate this day is by cooking up your favorite balls of meat and spending an evening sharing it with your family and friends. One can also throw a mead and meatball party. There are dozens of different recipes available for one to try as these meatballs are eaten around the world in various variations. Post pictures and share your National Meatball Day celebrations on social media by using the hashtag #MeatballDay.

Thank you for reading the post. You can celebrate every day with Happydays365.org and Happy National Meatball Day 2023.