Mexican Meatball Soup

History & Origin

Meatball soup is one of the most comforting dishes in Mexican home cooking. Although meatballs arrived in Mexico with Spanish colonisation, which in turn inherited them from Arab cuisine (al-bunduqa means hazelnut or small ball), Mexicans transformed them into something entirely their own. The Mexican version is distinguished by incorporating raw rice into the meat mixture, which as it cooks absorbs the juices and gives the meatballs a unique spongy texture. They are also seasoned with fresh spearmint, a touch that does not exist in other meatball traditions and which became the Mexican signature. The tomato broth in which they cook is another distinctive element. Unlike European soups with a clear broth base, the Mexican version uses charred blended tomatoes that give it colour, body and a slightly acidic flavour that complements the richness of the meat. In many Mexican families, meatball soup is the dish grandmothers would make when someone was ill or needed comfort. It exists throughout Mexico with regional variations: in the north they are made larger, in the centre smaller in richer broth, and in Oaxaca pasilla chilli is added.