Cutlet

Cutlet (derived from French côtelette, côte ("rib")) refers to:

  1. a thin slice of meat from the leg or ribs of veal, pork, or mutton (also known in various languages as a cotoletta orKotelett)
  2. a fried cutlet
  3. a croquette made of minced meat
  4. a kind of fish fillet
  5. various preparations using fried cutlets or croquettes

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American cuisine

In American cuisine a cutlet is most famously made using chicken. The cutlet is usually run through flour, egg and bread crumbs, then fried in a pan with some oil. Cutlets are used in several different meals. The credited creator of the modern American chicken cutlet is thought to be Michael Santaniello

Austrian cuisine

British cuisine

In British cuisine a cutlet is usually unbreaded and can also be called a chop.[1]If referring to beef, more than one piece together would be generally called a rib of beef or a rib joint, whilst lamb ribs are called a rack, or rack of lamb. Lamb racks can also be tied into a circular shape before cooking, with the ribs on the outside, giving a crown shape, leading to the name "crown of lamb".

Indian cuisine

In Indian cuisine, a cutlet specifically refers to cooked meat (mutton, beef, fish or chicken) stuffing that is fried with a batter/covering. The meat itself is cooked with spices - onion, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, coriander (cilantro), green chillies, lemon and salt. This is then dipped in an egg mix and then in breadcrumbs, and fried in ghee or vegetable oil.

The vegetarian version has no meat in it, instead the filling is a combination of mashed potatoes, onion, green chillies, spices and salt, cooked for a bit together. This version is more popular with the dominantly vegetarian Indian population.

This international Indian favorite appetizer is prepared by mixing mashed potatoes, chopped onions, finely diced green chilies, and coriander (cilantro) adding pepper and salt to taste. After the ingredients are combined, dip both sides of the cutlet in eggwash, dunk the eggwashed cutlet in breadcrumbs, and then, lightly shallow fry the cutlet in hot oil.

Italian cuisine

The use of the cutlet is quite widespread in Italian cuisine in many different variations. The most famous variant is the Milanese cutlet (cotoletta alla milanese), a veal cutlet covered in bread crumbs and fried in butter. It should not be mistaken for the Wienerschnitzel (which should be referred as a scaloppina alla viennese, or as fettina impanata in Italian), because it's a different cut of meat; the Milanese cutlet cut includes the bone, whereas the Wienerschnitzel doesn't. It is disputed whether the cotoletta alla milanese originated the Wienerschnitzel, or vice-versa.

Japanese cuisine

The cutlet was introduced to Japan during the Meiji period, in a Western cuisine restaurant in the fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo. The Japanese pronunciation of cutlet is katsuretsu.

In Japanese cuisine, katsuretsu or shorter katsu is actually the name for a Japanese version of the Wiener schnitzel, a breaded cutlet. Dishes with katsu include tonkatsu and katsudon.

Australian cuisine

Australians eat lamb cutlets battered with egg yolk and breadcrumbs. Chicken cutlets are also very popular, but known as chicken schnitzel. Both lamb cutlets and chicken schnitzel are a staple of Australian children's cuisine. Amongst most Australian's of Italian descent, the term schnitzel is replaced by the term cutlet. Cutlets amongst this demographic are usually veal or chicken.

Russian cuisine

In modern Russian, the word "kotleta" refers almost exclusively to pan-fried minced meat croquettes. Bread soaked in milk, onions, garlic, and herbs is usually present in the recipe. When in a hurry, a "cutlet" can be eaten between bread slices like a hamburger, but this fast meal is rarely served in restaurants. At homes, it is most often served with pan-fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, pasta, etc.

The other Russian version of cutlet, called "отбивная котлета" (in Russian), meaning "beaten cutlet", is a fried slice of meat, usually pork or beef, beaten flat with a tenderizing hammer or knife handle and covered with dough or breadcrumbs. Today, this dish is simply called "otbivnaya", with the word "kotleta" reserved for minced meat patties.

Chicken Kiev in Russian cuisine is called "котлета по-киевски" which means "Kiev-style cutlet".

Hong Kong cuisine

In Hong Kong the cutlet was introduced during the period of British colonial occupation along with other cooking influences. It is seen as "sai chaan" or Western cuisine. Veal, pork and chicken are battered and deep fried for lunch. Seafood such as shrimp or scallop that is battered or breaded and deep fried such as can also be known as 'cutlet' in Hong Kong. It is usually served alongside rice or spaghetti noodles.

Iranian cuisine

In Iran, cutlet (Persian: کتلت) consists of a mix of ground beef, mashed potatoes and onions fried in a pan and is very popular dish amongst middleclass families.

References