The name comes straight from the French 'boulette' (little ball) — a linguistic leftover from the Huguenot refugees who settled in Berlin in the 1680s.
A flat, hand-shaped patty of ground beef and pork mixed with soaked bread roll, egg, and onion, fried until deeply browned on both sides. Sold cold or warm from Imbiss counters and bakery cases, usually tucked into a bread roll (Schrippe) with mustard for an on-the-go lunch.