It’s impossible to say when the first ham ball was formed in Iowa or who formed it. Some link ham balls to their Swedish heritage, others to their Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors, but everyone who loves this undeniably Iowa dish would agree it’s reliably present on the buffet table at most every church potluck, funeral luncheon, family reunion or anywhere a community of people gather to eat and interact.
A copy of the book Twentieth Century Cookbook and Practical Housekeeping published in 1900 offers the most basic version of the meat balls, calling for finely chopped ham, breadcrumbs, eggs and a bit of salt and pepper “fried in smoking hot fat.” Since then, two basic recipes seem to have diverged. One calls for one part ground ham to one part ground beef, while the other calls for one part ground ham to one part ground pork. Whichever recipe you choose, the one non-negotiable ingredient in order to preserve the taste is the ground ham.
The flavor combination on which all ham ball lovers agree is the blend of salty and sweet, and choices of other ingredients can tilt the flavor more toward one than the other. For example, in place of breadcrumbs, some cooks use crushed graham crackers for sweetness while others prefer saltines for a saltier note.
The other recipe component is a glaze or a sauce in which the ham balls are baked. The glaze is composed of brown sugar, water or milk, apple cider vinegar and ground mustard. It is this sticky, sometimes gooey mixture that seals it for those who love the perfect harmony of salty and sweet. The other option, leaning more toward a sauce, calls for tomato soup, brown sugar and dry mustard. Ketchup can be used in place of the soup.
So many comfort foods and favorite recipes began as ways to repurpose leftovers. Finding creative uses for perfectly good bits of food was a basic value of our thrifty forebears. We have them to thank for staples like ham balls.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s December 2023 issue, Peak Iowa.
