We have been unable to find out anything about the genealogy of sauerkraut balls, which are a specialty of Ohio—Akron in particular. Clearly the basic ingredients of ground pork and sauerkraut reflect the strong Central and Eastern European culinary traditions that continue to infuse the northern part of the state, but there must be more than that to the story of their Buckeye identity or else you’d find them also in Milwaukee, Chicago, and the Texas Hill Country.
They are an hors d’oeuvre. About the size of Ping-Pong balls, they are presented in most restaurants by the half dozen, usually with a frilled toothpick stuck in each one. They come sizzling hot, straight from the deep fryer, with a tough golden crust around the moist mélange of kraut and pork inside. The traditional condiment is a red cocktail sauce with some horse-radish bite.
In 1996, readers of the Akron Beacon-Journal voted sauerkraut balls the city’s official food. When the Akron Aeros played the Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs for the AA Eastern League baseball championship in 2006, Jim Cohen, the mayor of Portland, was prepared to send Akron’s mayor, Don Plusquellic, a basket full of Maine lobsters if his team lost. But it was the Aeros who lost, and so Mayor Plusquellic sent Mayor Cohen sauerkraut balls.
Sauerkraut Balls
¾ cup finely chopped ham
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon butter
⅓ cup flour, plus more for rolling
½ teaspoon dry mustard
⅓ cup milk
1 cup thoroughly drained cooked sauerkraut
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Dry unflavored bread crumbs
Cooking oil for frying
1. Mix ham, onion, and parsley and sauté them in butter until the onion is soft. Stir in flour and mustard. Add milk, stirring constantly until thick. Add sauerkraut.
2. Pulverize the mixture in a food processor or food grinder. Let mixture cool.
3. Preheat oil in a deep skillet or deep fryer to 360°F. Form the cooled mixture into spheres a little less than 1 inch in diameter. Roll each in flour, then dip it in eggs, then dip it in bread crumbs. Fry in hot fat until the balls are well-browned, about 3 minutes. Serve warm with cocktail sauce.
ABOUT 24 SAUERKRAUT BALLS