A
croquette is a small
breadcrumbed fried food
roll containing, usually as main ingredients,
mashed potatoes or
ground meat (veal, beef, chicken, or turkey),
shellfish,
fish,
cheese,
vegetables, and mixed with
béchamel or
brown sauce, and soaked
white bread,
egg,
onion, spices and herbs,
wine,
milk,
beer, or any of the combination thereof, sometimes with a filling, e.g. sautéed onions, mushrooms, or boiled eggs (Scotch eggs). The croquette is usually shaped into a cylinder, disk, or oval shape, and then
deep-fried. The croquette (from the French
croquer, "to crunch") gained worldwide popularity, both as a delicacy and as a
fast food.