Wiener Schnitzel

Wiener schnitzel is a thin, breaded, pan fried veal cutlet and one of the most iconic dishes of Austrian cuisine, also prominent in Hungarian cooking. It is prepared from a butterflied veal slice roughly four millimeters thick, lightly salted, then dredged in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs kept loose and unpressed so they separate slightly from the meat during cooking, producing the dish's characteristic light, puffy crust; it is fried in lard or clarified butter at 160 to 170 degrees Celsius while fat is repeatedly spooned over the meat to cook it evenly. The name first appeared in an 1831 cookbook, and although legend credits Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky with bringing the recipe from Italy in 1857, food historian Heinz-Dieter Pohl has identified this as invented lore, with the dish more likely evolving from earlier breaded, deep-fried Austrian preparations such as Backhendl. Austrian law requires that any product labeled Wiener Schnitzel be made from veal, with pork versions required to be labeled Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein or Schnitzel Wiener Art.