History. Meatloaf is a traditional German, Scandinavian and Belgian dish, and it is a cousin to the Dutch meatball. American meatloaf has its origins in scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since colonial times.

Who knew meatloaf wasn't just the invention of thrifty housewives during the Great Depression? It turns out the idea of mixing meat with a tenderizing filler traces back to the fourth or fifth century AD, when the Roman cookbook Apicius presented a recipe for patties made of chopped meat, bread, and wine.