crocchè

The word croquette is French, derived from croquer, meaning 'to crunch'. In the 18th century, in English it was typically spelled croquet.

A 17th-century recipe for croquettes (croquets) by François Massialot binds a filling of meat, truffles, marrow, bread crumbs, and cheese with egg, then breads and fries them in lard. They may be as large as an egg or as small as a walnut, and can be served as an hors-d'œuvre or as a garnish. They are mentioned in a 1706 English dictionary. One 18th-century recipe uses just a batter, rather than a béchamel binder. Croquettes of the modern type, with a thick binder, are documented in an 1822 English cookbook by the Dutch cook Louis Eustache Ude.

France
The ragout-filled dish was regarded as a Dutch delicacy. It was first described in a recipe from 1691 by the chef of the Dutch king Louis XIV, using ingredients such as truffles, sweetbreads, and cream cheese. From the 1800s onward, it became a way to use leftover stewed meat.
They are traditionally made from a base of thick béchamel, velouté or potato purée in which different ingredients can be included (ham, cheese, meat, vegetables). Croquettes made from a base of rice are also common and several recipes can be found in Antonin Carême books.

Belgium
Kroketten/croquettes can be served as a side or main dish. They are usually savoury and filled with mashed potatoes. The two most popular Belgian croquettes have a thick bechamel filling mixed with grey shrimps "garnaalkroketten/croquettes de crevettes" or cheese "kaaskroketten/croquettes de fromage". The prawn filling seems to have first appeared in 1922, and became popular in the 1950s. As a main dish, they are usually served with a salad, fried parsley and frites.

Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

The German word is Kroketten (singular Krokette). In the German speaking countries, this usually refers to plain potato croquettes. They are served as a side dish in restaurants but are also available frozen in supermarkets.

Hungary
Krokett is a small cylindrical croquette similar to the Czech variety: potatoes, eggs, flour, and butter, seasoned with nutmeg and salt and deep-fried in oil. This variety is available in most restaurants as a side dish and can also be bought frozen. When made with cottage cheese, they are called túrókrokett.

Italy

In Italy, crocchette (known in the south as crocchè) is made mainly with crushed potatoes or vegetables such as aubergines (crocchette di melanzane). Crocchette is derived…

India

A potato-filled croquette called aloo tikki, which originated in the Indian subcontinent, is very popular in Northern India and is usually served with a stew. They are mostly eaten as snacks at home and are also popularly sold by roadside vendors. In West Bengal, there are two popular types of croquettes called chop and cutlet. Vegetable chop is prepared using a medley of mashed vegetables like boiled beetroot, carrot, and green peas, which is held together by potato, then breaded and deep fried. A cutlet is like a chop, but skips the potato binding on its inside. A mutton cutlet is made of minced goat meat mixed with spices that is breaded and deep-fried. McDonald's in India serves a fast-food variation of aloo tikki inside a hamburger bun. Meat croquettes called kebabs are made with minced mutton. Lightly spiced beef croquettes are a popular snack and appetiser among the Christian communities in Goa and Kerala.

Sri Lanka
There are two main types of croquettes in Sri Lanka. The first type is called rolls or Chinese roll, and is a popular cylindrical bakery product, which is similar to spring roll and egg roll. The rolls are commonly filled with a mixture of fish, potatoes and spices, and hence called fish rolls. Chicken is also sometimes used. The second type is called cutlets, which are spherical and generally made for festive occasions, and are similar to bolinho.

China
Japanese-style potato croquettes (日式可乐饼) are popular in China. They are made with mashed potatoes, corn, and sometimes meat.

Indonesia
The recipes Indonesia (Dutch), made of mashed potato filled with minced chicken or ragout, is one of the most popular snack items in Indonesia, introduced during Dutch colonial rule. The kroket is made by putting the chicken filling inside a mashed potato…