Schnitzel

Schnitzel is a thin slice of meat that is usually made thinner by pounding it with a meat tenderizer. It is often coated in breadcrumbs before being fried, which makes it crispy and tasty. This type of food is popular in many countries around the world. People use different kinds of meat for schnitzel, such as veal, pork, chicken, mutton, beef, or turkey. The most famous kind is called Wiener schnitzel, and it is very similar to other dishes that use breaded meat.

Etymology

The German word das Schnitzel comes from an old word sniz, which means "slice". The name Wiener Schnitzel was first used in the year 1845. Sometimes people say or spell Schnitzel in the wrong way.

Wiener schnitzel

Main article: Wiener schnitzel

Wiener schnitzel is a tasty food from Vienna that is made from thin slices of veal. It is usually served with a slice of lemon and either potato salad or potatoes with parsley and butter.

In Austria and Germany, a real Wiener Schnitzel must be made from veal. If other meats like pig, turkey, or chicken are used, it can be called Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein/Pute/Huhn or Schnitzel (nach) Wiener Art.

Schnitzels worldwide

The English term schnitzel means all types of breaded, fried flat pieces of meat. Due to the similarity between schnitzel and escalope, in many of the countries listed below, people sometimes refer to schnitzels as escalope, and vice versa.

Africa

Egypt

In Egypt, there are two dishes similar to schnitzel, one made with chicken and the other with veal. When chicken is used, it is called frakh pané and is also popular with French fries, in sandwiches, or eaten alone as an appetizer. Using veal, it is called boftik.

Namibia

Schnitzel, both chicken and pork, is common in Namibia due to the country's German colonial history. It is often topped with a fried egg and accompanied by potato salad, and eaten in a Brötchen with tomatoes, cheese, and other dressing.

South Africa

Schnitzel is popular in South Africa, due to European settlement during the colonial era. Chicken schnitzels and cordon bleu schnitzels are common items on most restaurant and hospital menus, and in recent years, beef and pork schnitzels have also become widely available.

Asia

Japan

Japanese tonkatsu consists of a flattened pork loin, lightly seasoned, coated in flour, dipped in beaten egg, coated with panko crumbs and deep-fried. Tonkatsu is often served as an accompaniment to ramen or udon or featured with curry and rice.

Pork tonkatsu was invented in Japan in 1899 at the Rengatei restaurant in Tokyo. It was originally considered a type of yōshoku—Japanese versions of European cuisine—and was called katsuretsu or simply katsu. Variations include the use of pork fillet (hirekatsu), chicken (chicken katsu), beef (gyūkatsu), ham (hamukatsu) and minced meat (menchi-katsu).

Korea

Korean dongaseu came from Japan in the 1930s. In Korean cuisine, pork, chicken, and beef cutlets are popular. The most common types of donkaseu are "kyeongyangsik" and "ilbonsik".

Europe

Austria

Wiener schnitzel, a very thin, breaded and pan-fried cutlet made from veal, is one of the best-known specialities of Viennese cuisine_ ('hunter's schnitzel') is a schnitzel with mushroom sauce.

• Rahmschnitzel ('cream schnitzel') is a schnitzel with a cream sauce, often containing some mushrooms.
• Zigeunerschnitzel ('Gypsy schnitzel') is a schnitzel with a zigeuner sauce containing tomato, bell peppers, and onion slices.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the dish is called bečka šnicla or bečki odrezak and is made of veal or beef and usually served with mashed potatoes. Common garnishes include a slice of lemon or some lettuce.

Bulgaria

Called шницел (shnitsel), it is made from ground veal, formed as a thin patty, seasoned with salt and black pepper, then breaded and fried. The dish usually is served with a choice of mashed or roasted potatoes, French fries, or simply a tomato salad.

Croatia

In Croatian, the dish is called bečki odrezak (or šnicl) and it is made of veal and served with French fries or potato salad and a slice of lemon. A similar dish is called zagrebački odrezak (šnicl). Baron Trenck's steak is veal or pork stuffed with Slavonian ham, boiled eggs and ajvar, stewed on red onion with mushroom sauce.

Czechia

Schnitzel is also very popular in the Czech Republic, where it is known as a smažený řízek or just řízek, and is made of pork, chicken, or veal. It is often served with fries, fried, boiled or mashed potatoes or potato salad.

Denmark

In Denmark, the dish is called skinkeschnitzel when made of pork and wienerschnitzel when made of veal, and is usually served with fried potatoes, gravy, green or snow peas, and a "boy" consisting of a lemon slice topped with capers, horseradish, and a slice of anchovy.

Estonia

In Estonia, schnitzels (šnitsel) are commonly made with pork. There also exists a schnitzel made from cheese that has been breaded and fried, typically served with salad.

Finland

In Finland, the dish called Wieninleike ("Viennese cutlet"), is almost always made of pork, breaded and fried like the original. It is usually served with French fries, potato mash, or wedge potatoes. A slice of lemon, a slice of anchovy, and a few capers are placed on top of the cutlet. Usually, the dish includes a small amount of salad made from fresh vegetables.

Typically the dishes above are prepared from pork.

• Wieninleike ("Viennese cutlet") served typically with slice of lemon, anchovy, and caper
• Floridanleike ("Floridian cutlet") served with fried peach and served with Béarnaise sauce
• Havaijinleike ("Hawaiian cutlet") served with fried pineapple
• Holsteininleike ("Holstein cutlet") served with egg, anchovy, and caper
• Metsästäjänleike ("hunter's cutlet") served with mushroom sauce
• Oskarinleike ("Oscar's cutlet") served with choron-sauce, shrimps or lobster, and asparagus
• Oopperaleike ("opera cutlet") served with fried egg
• Sveitsinleike ("Swiss cutlet") is filled with smoked ham and Emmentaler cheese

France

Pariser schnitzel is similar to Wiener schnitzel but is floured and fried in an egg batter instead of using breadcrumbs.

Côtelette Menon or Côtelette révolution is made of veal and breaded.

Germany

In Germany, the term Schnitzel means cutlets in general, not just breaded, fried ones.

• Schnitzel Wiener Art ('Viennese style schnitzel') is a pounded, breaded, and fried cutlet, more often made of pork than of veal. Restaurants mostly serve it with a slice of lemon and French fries.
• Jägerschnitzel ('hunter's schnitzel') is a schnitzel with mushroom sauce.
• Zigeunerschnitzel ('Gypsy schnitzel') is a schnitzel with a zigeuner sauce containing tomato, bell peppers, and onion slices.
• Rahmschnitzel (cream schnitzel) is a schnitzel with a cream sauce.
• Münchner Schnitzel ('Munich schnitzel') is a variation on Wiener schnitzel prepared with horseradish or mustard before coating in flour, egg and bread Crumbs.
• Schnitzel Holstein, topped with an egg sunny side up.

Hungary

Due to the strong Austrian influence of the Austro-Hungarian era, Wiener schnitzel is popular in Hungary, known as bécsi szelet or borjú bécsi, and is served in restaurants, and is a common meal in Hungarian homes. It is typically served with French fries, mashed potatoes, or rice. Alternatively, green peas or other vegetables are used as a side dish. Bread and salad often accompany the meal. Some restaurants offer the cordon bleu variant, a slice of schnitzel rolled and filled with cheese and ham.

Italy

In Italy, there is a similar dish called cotoletta alla Milanese, or simply Milanese. Cotoletta alla Milanese is very similar to the Austrian Wiener Schnitzel and it is at its origin. The Italian veal scaloppine is also somewhat similar although the meat is not breaded but enveloped with flour.

Netherlands and Belgium

In the Netherlands and Belgium, schnitzel is typically made from either pork or chicken and served with fries and a vegetable salad. Zigeunerschnitzel ("Gypsy schnitzel", served with paprika) and cordon bleu are very popular. A typical Dutch variant is the 'gehaktschnitzel', a schnitzel made of minced meat.

North Macedonia

In the Republic of North Macedonia, the dish called шницла (shnitzla) is a piece of pork seasoned with salt and black pepper, breaded and fried. Typically, it is served with mashed or fried potatoes with green salad garnish.

Poland

Kotlet schabowy is a classic, popular recipe for boneless pork chop or pork tenderloin. It can also be made from chicken, which is called "kotlet drobiowy".

Portugal

In Portugal, schnitzel is called bife panado or just panado. Different varieties of panado can be made with chicken, turkey, pork, or veal. The meat is usually seasoned with black pepper, garlic, and lemon juice. It is commonly served with spaghetti, fried potatoes, or rice. It is also popular as a sandwich, served in a bun with lettuce.

Romania

Romanian șnițel is very common in restaurants, fast-food places, and homes across the country. Normally served with french fries, mashed potatoes, or rice, and a slice of lemon or some salad, the fast food version is differentiated by being served sandwich/burger style. Cordon bleu șnițel is also very popular. The Romanian șnițel is made in the same manner as the Austrian one, but as a local characteristic is made of almost any type of meat.

A specialty from western Romania is the mosaic șnițel made of two thin meat layers and a vegetable filling. Also a recipe for șnițel de ciuperci, a mushroom fritter, is common.

Russia

In Russia, the dish is called отбивная (otbivnaya), which literally means a piece of meat that has been beaten, although the name шницель (šnitselʹ) is also in use. Russian cuisine includes recipes of schnitzel prepared from pork, as well as beef, veal, and chicken.

Serbia

In Serbia, the dish is called bečka šnicla (Viennese schnitzel). In Serbia, the word 'schnitzel' is used to describe any cutlet, not just breaded meat.

Slovakia

Schnitzel is highly popular in Slovakia, where it is referred to as vyprážaný rezeň. or simply rezeň. It is often made of pork or chicken, and is typically served with fried potatoes, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, French fries, potato salad, or rice.

Slovenia

German Schnitzel translates to Slovene as zrezek thus Wiener Schnitzel is called dunajski zrezek. As in Austria a real dunajski zrezek is made of veal. Restaurants serving the dish can be found throughout the country, though typically it is made of pork or chicken. Dunajski zrezek is usually served with fried or roasted potato and a slice of lemon. Less popular is pariški zrezek, which is prepared the same way but with no breadcrumbs. In Slovenia, a schnitzel filled with ham and cheese, breaded and fried (cordon bleu) is called ljubljanski zrezek. Zrezek can also be grilled, fried, braised, or pot-roasted.

Spain

Schnitzel in Spain is Escalope or Escalopa, although a more common name is filete empanado. There is a version of this dish made with chicken breasts usually called pechuga empanada. San Jacobo or cachopo is usually made with veal or pork stuffed with ham and cheese. It is common for Spanish families to have filete empanado or variants together with potato omelettes, on picnics in the countryside or at the beach.

Another variation of this dish is the flamenquín,_ made by putting together pork and a slice of ham, making it into a roll, tarnishing the roll and then frying it. This dish is typical from the Andalusian city of Córdoba.

Sweden

In Sweden, the dish is called schnitzel or Wienerschnitzel, and is made most commonly of pork, and is often decorated with a caper-filled circle of either genuine anchovies or the Swedish "fake" ansjovis. It is served with rice, fries, or boiled potatoes, and green peas.

Switzerland

Schnitzel, Schnipo, Wienerschnitzel, and Rahmschnitzel are all popular dishes in Switzerland. Schnipo (a schnitzel and fried potato combination) is quite popular. The Rahmschnitzel version is made with either veal or pork and topped with a cream sauce, sometimes including mushrooms. The cordon bleu variant of schnitzel – two slices of schnitzel (or one with a pocket) filled with cheese, typically Emmentaler or Gruyere, and a slice of ham – is also popular in Switzerland. Also the "Walliser Schnitzel" is a variant in which the meat is not breaded, but is fried in oil and then coated with tomato sauce and raclette cheese.

Ukraine

In West Ukraine (former Habsburg Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria), it is known as шніцель shnitsel′; in the rest of the country, it is called as відбивна vidbyvna, also bytky [uk]. It is typically made from pork, or occasionally chicken.

United Kingdom

The parmo, or Teesside Parmesan, is a schnitzel popular in Middlesbrough, Teesside, and a popular item of take-away food in North East England. It consists of a breaded cutlet of chicken or pork topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese, usually cheddar cheese.

Middle East

Iran

Schnitzel is popular in Iran, where it is known as shenitsel. It is usually thicker, bigger, spicier, and fried with a more crispy breading than the standard schnitzel. It is customarily served with lemon, French fries, and a variety of boiled vegetables.

Another Iranian dish, kotlet, should not be confused with shenitsel. They are small, oval-shaped patties made by deep-frying a mix of ground meat, onion, potato, and herbs.

Israel

In Israel, the dish (Hebrew: שניצל, shnitsel) is a popular food in Israeli cuisine. The meat is typically chicken or turkey breast, because chicken and turkey were more affordable in Israel and in order to conform with dietary kashrut laws. Before frying, the schnitzel is coated with a mixture of beaten eggs and bread crumbs, sometimes spiced with paprika or sesame seeds. It is usually served with mashed potatoes, French fries, rice, or pasta, accompanied by ketchup, hummus, or vegetable salad.

The schnitzel tradition was brought from Europe to Israel by Ashkenazi Jews. During the early years of the state of Israel, veal was not available, and chicken or turkey proved to be inexpensive. Packaged schnitzels are widely available in the frozen food section of most supermarkets. Some frozen schnitzels are breaded patties made from processed chicken or turkey meat, not whole poultry breasts. One can also find in the frozen food section Israeli corn schnitzels alongside other vegan options. Schnitzel is also sold in a pita, alongside hummus, French fries, and vegetable salad, in a similar way to falafel. Many falafel stands also offer a schnitzel in a pita.

Lebanon

In Lebanon, the dish is normally called escalope. Escalope is a French term and is a broader category of beaten, breaded meat of which Schnitzel is a type. While schnitzels are fried, escalopes need not be, even though they most commonly are. Lebanon likely adopted the French term during the French mandate period.

Turkey

In Turkey, the dish is spelled schnitzelm, şinitzel, or şnitzel and pronounced in a similar way to German. It is made of chicken and is usually served with rice, French fries, or pasta. Sometimes, it may have grilled cheese in it. It is often cooked at home, as it is an easy-to-do kind of food, but some restaurants have it on their menus.

North America

Canada

In Canada, Schnitzel is often referred to simply as veal cutlet or chicken cutlet, breaded and fried. Often with Italian tomato sauce, parmigiana cheese or mozzarella cheese. It is often topped with red peppers and it is very commonly served as a sandwich.

Mexico

In Mexico, Schnitzel is commonly referred to as milanesa. Milanesas are eaten in some regions, often in a torta (a sandwich made with bolillo or telera bread). In northern Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua (due to U.S. influence), it features lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise like a traditional sandwich, but the milanesa is also common in these regions as the main course of a meal. The milanesa memela napolitana is made with a thick fried tortilla with a milanesa on top, with ham, tomato sauce and grated cheese. In Mexico, milanesa usually refers to the preparation method; any type of meat that is pounded thin, breaded and fried might be referred to as a milanesa. In the northern state of Nuevo León, perhaps due to the influence of German and Czech immigrants, the dish known as milanesa is extremely popular and stands on its own as a main dish in most restaurants. It is usually served with French fries, refried beans, rice, and a lettuce salad.

United States

Fried cutlets are a popular convenience meal; they can be purchased pre-cooked and frozen, and heated at home. The pork tenderloin sandwich, popular in the Midwest, is made from a breaded pork tenderloin and is very similar to schnitzel. Chicken-fried steak, also called country-fried steak, is nearly identical to schnitzel. It is a breaded and deep-fried beef steak. The beef is generally a shoulder or a round cut, rather than an expensive loin or rib steak. It is usually served with white gravy.

Oceania

Australia

Beef (which may be veal) and chicken schnitzel are both very popular dishes in Australia, particularly in pubs where they are among the most widely available meals. Chicken schnitzel (less so beef) is also sold at many take-away establishments.

Schnitzel in Australia is often served in the form of parmigiana, which is a schnitzel topped with Italian tomato sauce, cheese, and occasionally ham.

At pubs, schnitzel is typically accompanied by chips (French fries), salad, and sometimes bacon. Plain and parmigiana schnitzels are sometimes respectively known by colloquial names "schnitty", "snitty", "schnitter", "parma", or "parmi".

South America

Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay

In Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, this dish, called milanesa, consists of a thin slice of beef, chicken, veal, or sometimes pork, and even eggplant or soy. Each slice is dipped into beaten eggs, seasoned with salt, and other ingredients according to the cook's taste (like parsley and garlic). Each slice is then dipped in bread crumbs (or occasionally flour) and shallow-fried in oil, one at a time. Some people prefer to use very little oil and then bake them in the oven as a healthier alternative. Lemon is commonly squeezed on top of the already cooked milanesa for added flavour.

Brazil

In Brazil, such preparations, designated à milanesa (Milanese-style), are quite common, especially in the more European-influenced southern region of the country. The meats of choice are beef or chicken, while veal and pork are relatively rare.

Colombia

Schnitzel presentations are called chuleta in Colombia. They are composed of flat pieces of chicken, veal, or mostly pork, covered with flour, and then deep-fried. The chuleta is a traditional dish of the Valle del Cauca region.

Similar foods

Main article: Breaded cutlet

There are many dishes similar to schnitzel, each with its own special way of preparing the meat. Some of these include:

• Escalope: Thin slices of meat, usually coated with flour, eggs, and bread crumbs, then fried.
• Cordon bleu: Thin meat stuffed with cheese and ham.
• Valdostana: Similar to cordon bleu but with cheese and ham on top, from the Val d'Aosta region in Italy.
• Chicken Kiev: Chicken rolled around butter and garlic, then breaded and cooked.
• Milanesa Napolitana: A popular dish in Argentina and Uruguay, made from beef topped with ham, tomato sauce, and cheese, then grilled.
• Singapore Hainanese pork chop: Served with a gravy of tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and peas.
• Piccata: Breaded meat with a tangy lemon-based sauce.
• Chicken fingers: Breaded and fried chicken strips.
• Chicken-fried steak: A piece of steak coated in seasoned flour and fried, often served with white gravy.
• Parmo: Popular in north-east England, especially Teesside, covered in bechamel sauce and served with chips and salad.
• (Cotoletta alla) Milanese: Similar to Wiener schnitzel but fried in butter instead of oil.