Holiday Ayo - Who doesn't know meatballs? In almost every place in Indonesia there are always meatball sellers who are typical of their respective regions. The same goes for meatballs for Indonesian people. It's as if eating meatballs is a habit for Indonesian people to establish togetherness, for example through celebrations, family gatherings, and entertaining guests from other places.

However, who would have thought that this menu actually has a long history in Indonesia. Brought by Chinese traders, this food from ground meat has a place in the hearts of all Indonesian people. Until, meatballs also experienced a mixture or cultural acculturation by various ethnic groups in the country.

The history of meatballs originates from stories from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), China (now). That said, a young man named Meng Bo wanted to cook soft and tender meat for his mother. He was inspired by mochi cake, a snack made from glutinous rice that is pounded to make it smooth, so this food tastes soft.

Meng Bo also pounded the tough meat, formed small balls, and served it with hot broth. It turns out that food from ground beef is popular throughout the city of Fuzhou throughout China. Times have changed, this food has been passed down from one generation to another by the Chinese people.

Meatballs are thought to have entered the archipelago through Chinese traders. It is evident from the naming 'Bakso' which comes from the word 'Bak-So' in Hokkien language which literally means ground meat. However, because the people of the Archipelago at that time were mostly Muslim, they did not use pork as the main ingredient, but beef, goat, chicken and even buffalo.

Meatballs have grown to all corners, because the delicious taste is in accordance with the tongue of the Indonesian people. Cultural acculturation also occurred, so that there are various variations of meatball recipes according to location. Moreover, the archipelago is very rich in spices which make the meatballs even more delicious.

You could say meatballs are a form of Indonesian cultural diversity. Because, through this menu there is a mix of diverse cultures. Instead of being taken for granted by Indonesian people, meatballs have undergone improvements in terms of composition and seasoning.

Now, almost every place in Indonesia has a meatball seller with a unique menu. However, of the hundreds of meatball variants in Indonesia, there are several popular menus, such as Vein Meatballs, Egg Meatballs, Fish Meatballs, Shrimp Meatballs, Balungan Meatballs, Aci Meatballs, Tofu Meatballs, to Pebble Meatballs. Meanwhile, from the city, several cities emerged as icons of the 'Meatball City', such as Wonogiri, Solo, Malang, to Karimunjawa.