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  • The meatballs at IKEA have successfully halted the downward spiral of more than one rapidly-declining

  • shopping trip.

  • But is this a function of the quality of the meatballs themselves, or are there other psychological

  • factors in play?

  • These are the reasons why IKEA's meatballs are so delicious.

  • Ikea sells about one billion meatballs worldwide, each and every year.

  • "When you say IKEA most people think of probably a piece of furniture, or our Swedish meatballs."

  • Because of the insane volume of meatball sales, we wouldn't blame you for assuming that they're

  • also loaded with all sorts of weird additives, preservatives, and laboratory-grade chemicals.

  • But amazingly, IKEA delivers a billion of these babies to hungry shoppers each year,

  • using all-natural ingredients.

  • The Ikea website lists the contents of their meatballs, and the rundown is surprisingly

  • simple: A combination of pork and beef, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, water, salt, and pepper.

  • This gentle seasoning allows the flavor of the meat to shine through, and makes IKEA

  • meatballs one of those rare quick-service meals that's actually made of real food.

  • "Wow, you have some beautiful balls."

  • But the beef and pork variety isn't the only option!

  • In addition to the classic, IKEA offers three more meatball options in the U.S.: A chicken-based

  • version, a vegetarian meatball, and believe it or not, a meatball formed from fish, made

  • from ASC-certified salmon with the addition of MSC-certified cod, and then seasoned with

  • seaweed and lemongrass.

  • The new "salmon balls" are sold as part of a meal for $5.99, in some locations, and come

  • with two sides: fennel and cabbage, and mashed potatoes.

  • If there's one thing that's a little unnerving about the nutritional makeup of IKEA's legendary

  • meatballs, it lurks a little deeper in the nutritional information.

  • According to the company's website, the 12-meatball plate packs a pretty serious amount of salt,

  • to the tune of 1,520 milligrams.

  • This puts you more than halfway toward the recommended daily allowance for adults, according

  • to the Center for Disease Control, with just one sit-down snack.

  • "Oh my God."

  • So what's the link between saltiness and deliciousness?

  • According to Fine Cooking, some people think salt is delicious because of our biological

  • need for sodium chloride.

  • But there's more to salt's appeal than simple biology.

  • Salt can enhance sweetness, help block bitter flavors, and can help make meats juicier.

  • Let's talk for a minute about the concept of "manufactured scarcity."

  • Basically, the idea is that by artificially denying access to something, customers will

  • crave it much more than they ordinarily would.

  • "Oh no, oh not now."

  • "What's the matter?"

  • "McRib is back."

  • Want an example?

  • Look at McDonald's "McRib" sandwich, which has had several "farewell" tours and is constantly

  • rumored to be discontinued, but which still gets trotted out once or twice a year.

  • Every time, fans go crazy for the McRib, not because it's an excellent sandwich, but because

  • of its limited availability.

  • So, the same concept probably applies to your love of IKEA meatballs.

  • If you ate them every single day of your life, you probably wouldn't enjoy them so much.

  • But on the special occasion that you've successfully braved the crowds at IKEA?

  • "Let's go."

  • Though most of us don't know our lingonberries from our snozzberries, we can all agree that

  • the sharp tartness of that jam pairs perfectly with those wondrous meatballs.

  • "What do the American kids say?

  • Jelly."

  • According to Tasting Table, there are two main reasons why you may enjoy a slice of

  • cheddar cheese with your apple pie, dipping french fries into your Frosty, or dabbing

  • your salty meatballs in a swipe of sweet-and-tart lingonberry jam.

  • First, the salt in the meatballs makes sweet foods appear to taste even sweeter.

  • The second reason, is biology: Our bodies need both salt and sweets, since we tend to

  • think that sweet foods are the most energy-rich, and sticking both things in our mouth at the

  • same time makes us think we've hit the evolutionary survival jackpot.

  • Have you ever noticed that during prolonged periods of stress or anxiety, or after walking

  • several miles like a rat in a maze made of tiny fully-furnished apartments, guided only

  • by light-up arrows projected onto the floor to keep you from losing your way, you tend

  • to get ravenously hungry?

  • That's never more true than after an afternoon shopping at IKEA.

  • "I'm a mess, and I'm starving."

  • By the time you stumble upon the IKEA cafeteria, not-so-accidentally located in the center

  • of the store, you've probably developed a serious pit in your empty stomach.

  • That's when a plate of IKEA meatballs is there, right at the exact moment you need them most.

  • "Mmm.

  • Well that's lunch done.

  • Now back to work."

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The meatballs at IKEA have successfully halted the downward spiral of more than one rapidly-declining

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