We had gone hiking earlier that day in the nearby Stadtwald (city forest), so we were definitely hungry for dinner.
Different meats (such as pork, veal and chicken) can be used for schnitzel, and I actually was able to make Wiener Schnitzel (Viennese schnitzel) with my German professor when I studied abroad in Austria in 2019. While Wiener Schnitzel uses veal, Teufelsschnitzel is made from pork (Schwein), which is pounded into a thin slice and seasoned with salt and pepper before being placed in flour and bread crumbs. Then, it is fried in butter, and the sauce with peppers is added on top. Does this sound familiar? When Schnitzel became Americanized, it transformed into the chicken-fried steak many people eat today. The mashed potatoes in Kroketten are also breaded and fried. First, the potatoes are boiled and mashed. Then, egg yolks, corn or potato starch, salt, and nutmeg are added. The potatoes are placed in a bag and piped onto a tray with more starch. After the potatoes are cut and frozen, they are rolled in eggs and bread crumbs before being fried.
Schnitzel has been part of German culture for hundreds of years. The word itself comes from the German verb “schnitten,” which means “to cut,” since the meat is thinly cut away from the bone. Wiener Schnitzel is so important to Austria and Germany, for instance, that it is regulated. It must be made with veal, and if another meat is used, restaurants have to specify it separately.
