Schnitzel

There must be something special about a dish that is present in cuisines as vastly different as Germany is from Japan or France is from Mexico. Breaded and fried cutlets of meat form a golden culinary thread that follows the pathways of European colonial expansion into Asia, South America and Africa.

The schnitzel in the form that we know it today, originated in Vienna, Austria, hence the name “Wiener” schnitzel. The “proper”, authentic Wiener Schnitzel is made from cutlets of veal, pounded thin then dipped in flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs, and fried in butter or oil until golden in colour.

Some believe that an Austrian soldier Josef Graf Radetzky commanding Austrian troops in Italy between 1831 and 1857, pinched the idea from a classic Milan dish called “Costoletta Alla Milanese” - a thick, bone-inveal cutlet, coated with breadcrumbs and sautéed in butter. Back in Vienna the dish was modified and tweaked to its current form. The Milanese then appears to have re-imported the Vienna option – thinly pound and without the bone– as “Cotoletta Alla Milanese”.

Yet another theory, claimed it was the ancient Romans who first tenderised meat by pounding it, and that they were also the first to apply breading to the meat before frying it. Evidence hereof is found in the oldest existing cookbook written by Apicius and dating back to the 1 st century. Among this school of thought was thus the Romans who introduced the dish to the Germanic countries.

Be it as it may, the name “Wiener Schnitzel” is now trademarked, and its preparation fixed. The dish must be made from veal – no other kind of meat is allowed for the dish called Wiener Schnitzel. According to the legislation protecting the trademark, any other non-veal alternatives, cannot use “Wiener Schnitzel” in naming the dish but should be announced as “Wiener Art” – Schnitzel in the style of Wiener.

Schnitzel made from alternative meats are quite common: pork (schweine-schnitzel), chicken (hänchen-schnitzel) and even turkey (puten-schnitzel) are all popular alternatives to the classic Wiener schnitzel.

Further innovation saw the addition of sauces, toppings and even fillings to the classic version. Namibians are quite familiar with some of these more modern varieties: Jäger- Schnitzel has mushroom sauce; Zigeuner-Schnitzel is covered in a sauce of red bell peppers, onions, and tomato paste; and Käse-Schnitzel is covered in melted cheese, cheese sauce and maybe mushrooms. Then there are the foreigners: Cordon- Bleu is a Swiss favourite stuffed with ham and cheese; Parisian Schnitzel stems from France and is dipped in flour and egg but contains no crumbs. Given the global popularity of schnitzel, it is not surprising that it became a popular street food too. Our schnitzel brötchen is a good example of such a ‘pick up and go’ dish.

Making schnitzel at home is easy. A good quality boneless cutlet of your choice – try using our local venison - that gets well disciplined (pounded until thin) before being breaded – first flour, then egg, then crumbs – and fried until golden. It is common to use fine breadcrumbs but the coarser varieties (e.g. panko breadcrumbs) used for Japanese style Tonkatsu is just as delicious.

Christie Keulder