The Schnitzel is:
▶ the Italian cutlet, from the diminutive of sniz, ‘slice’, in fact it is a slice of meat usually pounded, breaded and then fried.
▶ It is an escalope in France and Spain, panado in Portugal, tonkatsu in Japan, kotlet schabowy in Poland, milanesa in Latin America, chuleta valluna in Colombia, chicken-fried steak or pork tenderloin in the USA.
▶ The most famous is certainly the Austrian Wiener schnitzel: a popular Viennese dish made with veal and traditionally garnished with a slice of lemon and a potato salad dressed with parsley, oil, vinegar and onion.
▶ Then there is the Rahm Schnitzel, much more popular in Switzerland where cordon bleu (two slices of cutlet filled with cheese, Emmentaler or Gruyère, and a slice of ham) is also widespread.
❓But what are the differences? ❓
🇦🇹Wiener schnitzel is veal breaded first in flour, then in egg and then in breadcrumbs and fried in lard or butter.
🇨🇭Rahmschnitzel can be veal or pork (loin, rack or tenderloin), floured only (no breadcrumb), fried in oil and butter and always served with a cream-and-pepper sauce called Rahm-sauce (if mushrooms are added it becomes Jägerschnitzel – German).
The recipes for both follow.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: European
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1.1 lb veal steaks
- 2 eggs
- as needed flour
- as needed salt
- 1 lemon
- as needed butter (or lard)
- 1.1 lb veal or pork steaks
- as needed flour
- as needed butter (or vegetable oil)
- 3.4 fl oz cooking cream
- 1 2/3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp butter
- as needed dry white wine
- as needed salt
Steps
Pound the meat, bread it first in flour, then in eggs beaten with salt, then in breadcrumbs.
Fry in butter or lard.
Serve with a slice of lemon on top, accompanied by lettuce and boiled potato salad dressed with vinegar, onion, oil and parsley.
Salt and flour the meat, fry it in oil or butter.
Prepare the sauce by mixing, over heat, the cream, pepper, butter, broth and white wine until it thickens.
Add the sauce over the cutlet and optionally sprinkle with parsley.
In Israel, the chicken cutlet is called Schnitzel (in Hebrew שניצל, pronounced shnitzel).
Although the name comes from the Austrian and German tradition, the Israeli schnitzel has unique characteristics that distinguish it from the European version:
Type of meat: Traditionally the Austrian Wiener Schnitzel is made with veal, but in Israel the chicken breast or turkey breast is almost exclusively used. This originally happened for economic reasons (veal was expensive and rare in the 1950s) and availability.
Breading: The Israeli version is famous for the addition of sesame seeds to the breadcrumbs, which give an unmistakable crunch and nutty flavor.
No butter: To respect the rules of kashrut (which prohibit mixing meat and dairy), schnitzel in Israel is strictly fried in vegetable oil and never in butter.
Iconic pairing: As mentioned, the combo Schnitzel and Ptitim is the standard lunch for every Israeli child, often accompanied by ketchup or a fresh Israeli salad.
There is also a variant called Schnitzelonim, small breaded chicken bites, similar to nuggets, very popular as finger food or for little ones.
