Königsberger Klopse, also known as Soßklopse, are a Prussian specialty of meatballs in a white sauce with capers.
The dish is named for the Prussian city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) and is one of the glories of East Prussian cuisine. In the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the dish was officially called Kochklopse (“boiled meatballs”) to erase any reference to its namesake city, which, in the aftermath of World War II, had been annexed to the Soviet Union, emptied of its remaining German inhabitants (many had already fled), repopulated with Russians and renamed after a close ally of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet leadership. Referring to any of the annexed territories or their cities by their former German names was a big no-no in GDR officialdom. Thus, Königsberger Klopse were also jokingly referred to as Revanchistenklopse.[1]
The meatballs are ideally made from very finely ground veal (though cheaper beef or pork is often substituted), onions, eggs, and spices (chiefly, white pepper). If it is mixed with herring, it is called Rostocker Klopse; with anchovy is the original Königsberger Klopse. Without these ingredients, it is only Soßklopse. The meatballs are carefully simmered in salt water, and the resulting broth is mixed with roux, cream, and egg yolk to which capers are added (a cheaper and simpler version of the recipe thickens the sauce with flour or starch only, leaving out the egg yolk; a refined version does the opposite, using only egg yolk as a thickener; the only essential ingredient being the capers). The dish is usually served with boiled potatoes or, less traditionally, with rice.