Meatloaf has become a classic dinner dish in modern times, but where did it start and who invented meatloaf in the first place?
When you think of classic culinary creations, plenty of dishes probably come to mind. Stews, roast pigs, even beer, are all well-known for having a long lineage in the cooking world. But did you know that meatloaf should be counted among them? It’s true. While many may think of meatloaf as a relatively modern meal, the truth couldn’t be farther from the case.
The first instance of a meatloaf recipe can be traced all the way back to the first century AD in the ancient Roman cookbook Apicius. However, as we’re still uncertain as to who exactly authored Apicius, let alone who penned the specific meatloaf recipe within, it’s impossible to pinpoint exactly who invented meatloaf. We could say that the Romans invented meatloaf; at least the earliest iteration thereof.
The recipe as it appears in Apicius isn’t exactly the same as the meatloaf you may be familiar with. A more concrete origin for the American version of meatloaf can be found in scrapple. Scrapple is a combination of pork scraps, cornmeal, and flour that came from German-Americans living in Pennsylvania during the colonial era.
