IKEA sold one billion meatballs worldwide in 2019. Photo: Supplied.
It may not be raining on Monday but there’s a 100 per cent chance of meatballs if you rock up to Swedish superstore IKEA which has declared 9 March National Meatball Day.
Maybe it’s just an excuse to celebrate Canberra Day or maybe it’s just a slick marketing gimmick (go for Option B), but either way, it’ll give you another long weekend activity once you’ve worked through Twenty-one things to do around Canberra this weekend.
To celebrate this dubious ‘national day’, all weekend, Sweden’s second greatest export behind ABBA will be offering two-for-one plates across their meatball range, even the veggie balls.
IKEA meatballs (or Köttbullar, as they’re called in Sweden) were the creation of IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad and chef Severin Sjöstedt, who set themselves the challenge of creating the perfect meatball.
It took them 10 months to agree on a recipe (about the same time it takes to put together a Liatorp TV unit, known by its owners as the ‘divorce-maker’), and whether they’re the world’s best meatballs is up for debate, but there’s no doubt they’ve proven a hit, not just in Sweden but around the world.
According to IKEA, more than 1 billion were sold last year, 35 years after they made their debut in Aubonne, Switzerland. In 2019, more than 2.1 million meatballs dishes were consumed in Australia with Canberrans accounting for 126,000.
Once the kids have had their fill, there’s face painting from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm each day and Cloudy with a chance of a Meatballs will be screened in the restaurant from 4:00 pm.
The festivities get underway on Friday in Småland with a giant Jenga, a meatball tossing competition and musical statues.
Kids will have the chance to become mini inventors by making machines out of recycled materials, their own spaghetti and meatballs and more.
To find out more, visit IKEA.
Swedish chef Severin Sjöstedt helped refine the meatball recipe in 1985. Despite this, he is not Sweden’s most famous chef. Photo: Supplied.
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