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Written by
Gregory Lewis McNamee
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
schnitzel, a thin meat cutlet, pounded until tender and then breaded and fried, that is a culinary staple in German-speaking countries and communities. The Americanized version of the dish is chicken-fried steak.
Schnitzel comes from the German verb schnitten, meaning “to cut.” The meat used in a schnitzel can come from any of several animals, but it is always cut away from the bone and thinly sliced. Pork schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel), for example, is made from boneless pork chops, while chicken schnitzel (Hänchenschnitzel or Huhnerschnitzel) is made from boneless chicken breast. Other common meats include turkey (Putenschnitzel) and beef (Rinderschnitzel or Rindsschnitzel), the latter usually from the shoulder. The thin meat cutlet is pounded to make it even thinner and then is coated in flour and dipped in an egg wash before being breaded and fried in butter or oil. The cutlet is only lightly spiced, although many variations in flavour are possible, with a range of sauces, from the fairly mild Rahmschnitzel (cutlet with cream sauce) and Jägerschnitzel (“hunter’s schnitzel,” with mushrooms in brown gravy) to the spicier Zigeunerschnitzel (“Roma schnitzel,” made with tomatoes, paprika and bell peppers, and onions).
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The best-known variation on the theme is wiener Schnitzel, or Viennese schnitzel, a designation now protected by German and Austrian law and limited to schnitzel made of veal. Any substitute must be labelled; for example, it would be called wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein if made of pork. Schnitzel wiener art, “schnitzel in the Viennese style,” is another acceptable locution. Wiener schnitzel is typically served with a lemon slice, a light green salad, and boiled potatoes with butter and parsley. Other accompaniments include Spätzle, or egg noodles, and, especially in Switzerland, Rösti, hash browns.
The combined breading and frying techniques that yield schnitzel are widely held to be of central European origin, but many European cultures eat meat dishes that are very similar or identical to it. In Italy, meat so cooked is called alla milanese, or “in the Milanese style”; some food historians believe it is the true inspiration for Wiener schnitzel, although the Milanese style may also have been borrowed from central Europe. Breaded and fried cutlets are popular through Scandinavia and the Baltic countries, and Japanese tonkatsu cutlets are indistinguishable from European schnitzel. German immigrants to Texas introduced schnitzel as part of their culinary heritage, and today schnitzel also takes the thoroughly Americanized form of chicken-fried steak.
