Bola-bola among the world’s best meatballs
The Filipino meatball dish bola-bola has earned a spot on TasteAtlas’ “Top 73 Meatballs in the World” list.
TasteAtlas, a popular food guide known for featuring traditional dishes around the world, aims to “promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.”
The best meatballs list was compiled based on 7,661 user ratings. The meatball dish bola-bola earned the No. 47 spot, with a 3.6 rating. It was the only Filipino dish to secure a place in the global rankings.
Traditionally, bola-bola is made of ground pork bound by eggs and breadcrumbs, seasoned with onions, garlic, soy sauce, salt, pepper and other spices and rolled into balls.
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The term bola, which means ball in English, reflects the round shape of the meatballs.
As described by TasteAtlas, “These meatballs are used in tasty Filipino soups and are commonly served plain and enjoyed as a quick snack or a nutritious appetizer.”
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Often cooked deep-fried, boiled or steamed, bola-bola is used in a variety of Filipino dishes, including clear soups with patola (silk squash) or as a filling for siopao, the Filipino version of Chinese steamed buns.
As a main dish, they’re commonly served with sweet and sour, curry or tomato sauce.
For vegetarians, bola-bola can also be cooked using chopped vegetables instead of pork.
Italy’s polpette topped the TasteAtlas list, followed by Greece’s youvarlakia at No. 2 and Turkey’s islama köfte at No. 3. America’s beloved spaghetti and meatballs clinched the 28th spot.
