Everybody has heard it, everybody knows it: das Schnitzel. But really, Schnitzel is just the German word for a thinly cut, boneless piece of meat. It comes from the German word Schnitzlein and most cookbooks before the 20th century used the word Schnitz or Schnitzchen when referring to this meat cutlet.
Das Wiener Schnitzel
What Americans think of when they hear the word Schnitzel is actually a Wiener Schnitzel which is, like the name suggests, not German but Austrian. It is a veal cutlet often pounded thin so the meat becomes extra tender when the fibers are being broken down. It is then rolled in flower, dipped in beaten eggs, breaded with Semmelbröseln (bread crumbs from rolls), and fried in a pan. Ideally, the breadcrumbs don’t stick to the meat, but bubble and form a shell. A knife should fit between the breading and the meat once the Schnitzel is done. Generally speaking, the term escalope can also be used for this type of meat.
What you see here is a classic Wiener Schnitzel served with lemon, french fries, and salad. And no, I didn’t have to go to Vienna for it, I ate it in Hamburg.
It is said that people used lemon because it could cover the taste of spoiled meat or old oil.
While the tradition of using breading has probably been around ever since people wanted to use leftovers like stale bread (you can find references to breading as early as the 12th century in Constantinople), the story goes that this golden breading was ‘invented’ to simulate a golden look. In the 16th century, it was very popular for rich people to decorate their food with gold leaf. Or rather they had their cooks decorate their food. Gold was also thought to be healthy. In 1514, Venice forbade the use of gold leaf in food preparation, after all it was very valuable, and in order to make the meat appear as golden as it was before cooks breaded the meat and fried it until it was golden brown.
At first, the Schnitzel was a food consumed mostly at the court and for celebrations like Christmas, New Year’s, or wedding. And since veal was very expensive, the lower classes would often replace it with the much cheaper pork.
Other Schnitzel
And now we are entering the territory of Schnitzel that differ from the Wiener Schnitzel. Any cutlet that isn’t veal but is breaded and fried in butter is called Schnitzel nach Wiener Art or Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein which means Schnitzel like the Wiener Schnitzel is made.
Schnitzel can be made with pork or chicken, and the Panier (Austrian) or Panade can be different, too. Panier is the breading, think of the Italian word impanare (to coat in breadcrumbs) or the French pain (bread), and it can be made with or without flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. So, technically there doesn’t have to be a breading in order to call it a Schnitzel. There are many different types, I’m going to talk about the two most known, Jägerschnitzel and Balkanschnitzel.
Here is a Jägerschnitzel (hunter’s schnitzel). It is normally made with veal, is not breaded and fried in butter. Traditionally it is served with a creamy mushroom sauce. Here the side dish isn’t french fries but Spätzle.
What you see here is a Balkanschnitzel or Paprikaschnitzel with french fries. The meat can be veal or pork, often is isn’t breaded and the sauce is made of onions and lots of bell peppers. Some people still call it Zigeunerschnitzel. But the term Zigeuner is a derogotary word for Sinti and Roma and is therefore no longer used. (See link here for an explanation why the word Zigeuner shouldn’t be used (in German)).
No matter what your choice of meat, Panier, or sidedish, Schnitzel is popular anywhere in Germany and Austria. And it turns out that Ashkenazic Jews (often with a German background) took the Schnitzel with them when they emigrated to Israel. Most Israelis make their Schnitzel with chicken, since veal is expensive and pork isn’t kosher.
Schnitzeljagd
If Schnitzel means meat cutlet and Jagd means hunt then what in the world is a Schnitzeljagd? You go hunting for schnitzel? That doesn’t make sense, does it? Actually, a Schnitzeljagd has nothing to do with meat. Since the word Schnitzel is related to the German word Schnitz (cut-off piece), Schnitzel also means the wood shavings, while schnitzen means to whittle. A Schnitzeljagd is a game, classically played with two groups, the hiders and the searchers or seekers. It often takes place in the woods or somewhere where people can’t easily be spotted. The hiders go first and leave clues in the form of saw dust or wood shaving (sometimes also scraps of paper which is why the game is sometimes called Schnipseljagd, Schnipsel – little pieces of paper). They are allowed to lay false tracks. The second group, the seekers, follow the saw dust clues, starting about 15 minutes after the first group left. Once the first group is found, the roles are reversed. If you don’t have saw dust and don’t want to use paper, you can also make arrows out of branches, mark the way with rocks, or other material you find on the way.
There are many variations of the game, especially for children. Often the Schnitzeljagd becomes a treasure hunt in which the saw dust markings are turned into little riddles that must be solved correctly in order for the children to find their way to the treasure.
Geocaching is probably the most technical version of a Schnitzeljagd.
What about you?
Did you ever participated in some kind of Schnitzeljagd? What is your favorite kind of Schnitzel? Do you make it often? Do you eat it hot or cold? On a bun or with potatoes? Do you use a recipe that maybe has been in your family for generations?
Here is the recipe I use when I make pork schnitzel. Not a family recipe. https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pork_schnitzel/
And if your Schnitzel doesn’t turn out the first time, do as the person in the following poem does: eat it with heartfelt pleasure.
The Schnitzel
A person who fried himself a schnitzel
realized that it turn out badly.
Though, since he made it by himself
he pretends that it turned out well.
And, not call himself a liar,
he eats it up with heartfelt pleasure.
My sources and further readings are listed below. There are also many youtube videos about how to make different kinds of Schnitzel.
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