Meatballs begin with ground meat, which is traditionally made from the parts of an animal that aren't otherwise easy to eat. In other words, the cheaper cuts.
But the glory of peasant food is that cooks developed clever ways to bring tremendous flavor to the foods that wealthier people did not want to eat. And so the world has benefited with a host of wonderful stews, tagines, congees _ and meatballs.
As with many foods of humble origins, meatballs have long been co-opted by the rest of the world; they now appear on the menus of the trendiest restaurants, often as an appetizer or a small plate. They aren't just for spaghetti anymore.
