My Passionate Love Affair With the Weiner Schnitzel

Because of its location in Central Europe, Austrian cuisine is highly influenced by other European fare. Vienna, in particular, has a delectably diverse range of dishes that reflect gastronomic delights from different cultures and from different times in history. The city boasts of a very colorful and scrumptious culinary tradition that mirrors the food fashion from other parts of the world.

But Vienna has one thing to be grateful about – the Weiner Schnitzel. You have not tasted Vienna if you have not tasted the Wiener Schnitzel. This famous traditional Austrian dish is actually made of veal, although some stores lately use pork escalope. The name "wiener schnitzel" derives from German language which means veal fillet. This Viennese delicacy, according to my host, might be originally from Italy because it is very similar with the cotoletta alla milanese. Well, Viennese or Italian, this dish is also quite popular in Sweden, Australia, Israel, Poland and the Czech Republic. And wherever you are, schnitzels just seem to be calling, "kommen sie und essen sie" (come and eat).

So popular has the wiener schnitzel been, it even made an appearance in Austria’s world-renowned musicale The Sound of Music. In the second verse of the song "My Favorite Things", a line goes: "Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels, doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles…."

Indeed, if there was an Austrian recipe more Austrian than most, without a doubt, it would be the schnitzel. And I think, I have caught the flu as well. Just like many Austrians, I can not imagine my stay in Austria without it. And if you still can not relate to this, let me give you my version of schnitzel 101.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WIENER SCHNITZEL:

- A wiener is most definitely not sausage. Sausages are basically frankfurters while the schnitzels are lavishly spiced meat rolls.

- In schnitzel world, according to Austrians, only veal is real. Pork and Turkey are just… uhm, substitutes.

- Proper wiener schnitzel should not be served along with a sauce. The best schnitzels are served crispy not soggy and swimming in some sauce or gravy.

- Nope, don’t eat your schnitzel with ketchup either. It’s just not done that way in Austria.

- When you feel that you must have some condiment with your plate of schnitzel, sparingly drizzle lemon juice over it. Lemon juice lessens the greasiness but you don’t want too much of it either. For a fruitier blend, cranberry compote can blend with the schnitzel as well.

Now that you know the ins and outs of the Wiener Schnitzel, it’s time to meet the family: the Zigeunerschnitzel is the one with a spicy sauce of tomatoes mixed with mildly hot peppers: the Naturschnitzel is the unbreaded schnitzel, plain and simple: the Schnitzel Parisien-Art is floured but not breaded; the Jägerschnitzel is the hunter-style; the Rahmschnitzel is with cream sauce; and the Surschnitzel, which originated from Heurigen, might be marinated, smoked or cured.

I could say no more, except that this Austrian dish is absolutely köstlich (delicious)!

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