Minced meat enjoys great popularity among young and old – whether it’s a meatball, boulette or mince pie – and it’s great for a quick meal. You can eat minced meat boiled, fried, baked, grilled and as a filling, hot or cold and also raw. Because minced meat and other minced raw meat is highly susceptible to spoilage, its production and sale in Germany is subject to strict legal regulations (e.g., no rings may be worn during minced meat processing).
What is minced meat?
Minced meat (Gehacktes, Gewiegtes, Mett) is highly minced meat that may only be produced from fresh meat of cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. Parts that experience has shown to be contaminated with microorganisms (e.g., belly meat, bone rendering), as well as poultry and game meat, may not be processed into minced meat.
Minced meat types
- Minced beef (tartar, beefsteak mince) is made from the muscle meat of beef, which is low in tendons and fat. With a maximum of 6 percent fat, it is the leanest ground beef. In prepared minced meat, except for seasoning ingredients, only egg yolk is used
- Pork mince (pork fat) is made from coarsely defatted, minced pork. The fat content is a maximum of 35 percent
- Ground beef consists of coarsely de-shredded beef with a maximum of 20 percent fat.
- Mixed minced meat (minced meat half and half) consists of half minced pork and half minced beef. Its fat content is a maximum of 30 percent
- Prepared minced meat such as Hackepeter and Thuringian Mett contains no additives other than table salt, onions and spices.
Store minced meat properly
Due to the mincing of the meat, the minced meat is very fragile and does not keep for long. It can only be sold on the day of production and must always be stored below 4 degrees.
For proper storage in the home, the minced meat must be urgently stored in the refrigerator. It is best to consume it on the same day. Otherwise, it is advisable to fry the minced meat well on the day of purchase and then put it in the refrigerator. However, by browning it, it can be kept for up to 2 days at most.
Tips for preparation
As an ingredient in cooking, minced meat is particularly popular for the dish spaghetti bolognese. But minced meat is also used in other recipes. Thus, minced meat is often combined with foods such as eggplant, zucchini, savoy cabbage or mushrooms. Even the recipe for a stuffed bell pepper does not do without minced meat.
