Origin of spaghetti and meatballs is not what you think

Spaghetti and meatballs.

Meatballs come in all sizes and are found in cultures across the world, from the Swedish kottbullar (the giant meatballs popularised by Ikea) and Chinese lion’s heads balls to Spanish albondigas and Vietnamese pho bo vien (noodle soup with meatballs).

But no meatball is as profoundly entrenched in global food culture as spaghetti and meatballs. While the dish is often attributed as being Italian, its origins are actually very much American. In fact, every year on March 9, National Meatball Day is celebrated in the US!