Oscar Meyer Wiener-Schnitzel

This travel bug has been created in an effort to enlighten the confusion of the American public about the German taste treat Wiener Schnitzel.

I dedicate this TB to ElmarHeissler, GrillMeister!

There is a fast food franchise in the US called 'Der Wienerschnitzel' which serves 'Wiener' (Würstchen) but no Wiener Schnitzel at all. In addition it should be 'Das Wienerschnitzel'! So the question arises, what actually is Wiener Schnitzel and how is it made? If you can't get to an authentic German restaurant the best way to try the real thing is to make it yourself...below is a recipe that serves two.

The classic Wiener schnitzel is always made with tender veal. If it's made with turkey or pork, you have to say so in the title: Pork Wiener Schnitzel, for example. The good news is that it can easily be made in 15 minutes. It was my plan B for the IMBB: Make it in 30 minutes challenge because it looks classy and yet really is very quick and simple to make.

2 veal cutlets

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup bread crumbs

salt

pepper

a lemon wedge

3 eggs, separated (one beaten)

a lot of unsalted butter

Pound the veal cutlets until they are uniformly thin, about a quarter of an inch thick. Dredge them in flour (mixed with a little salt and pepper) and then the beaten egg. Roll them in the bread crumbs until well coated. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. When the butter begins to froth, lay the cutlets in the pan. Keep the heat fairly high, but not high enough to burn the butter. You can add a little olive oil to the butter if you want to play safe; this keeps the butter from burning but you don't want too much as it will add the wrong flavour to the dish. Once a nice brown crust has formed on the cutlets (about five minutes) add another couple tablespooons of butter. Let it melt and then flip the cutlets, moving them around a bit and lifting them, if necessary to get the butter under them.

The breadcrumbs absorb butter like nobody's business: be generous with the butter if the pan looks dry.

When they are cooked through and crusty all over, remove to a warm plate. Crack the two eggs in the pan with the remaing butter. Cook until the eggs are just set but the yolks are still liquid. Slide an egg onto each schnitzel and serve with a wedge of lemon.

A cooked sausage that consists of a combination of beef and pork or all beef, which is cured, smoked, and cooked. Seasonings may include coriander, garlic, ground mustard, nutmeg, salt, sugar, and white pepper. They are fully cooked but are usually served hot. Sizes range from big dinner frankfurters to tiny cocktail size.

Hot dogs are among America's favorite foods. Every year, Americans consume on average 60 hot dogs! Hot dogs are primarily regarded as a fun, summertime food, and most are eaten between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Americans are not the only ones who love hot dogs. The Spanish call them "perrito caliente," in Italian, it's "cane caldo," the French refer to them as "chien chaud," Germans call them "Heisser Hund," and the Dutch have dubbed them "worstjes

The people of Vienna (Wien), Austria point to the term "wiener" to prove their claim as the birthplace of the hot dog. It is said that the master sausage maker who made the first wiener got his early training in Frankfurt, Germany. He called his sausage the "wiener-frankfurter." But it was generally known as "wienerwurst." The wiener comes from Wien (the German name of Vienna) and wurst means sausage in German.

In 1852 - The butcher's guild in Frankfurt, Germany introduced a spiced and smoked sausage which was packed in a thin casing and they called it a "frankfurter" after their hometown. The sausage had a slightly curved shape supposedly due to the coaxing of a butcher who had a popular dachshund. The frankfurter was also known as a "dachshund sausage" and this name came with it to America.

In 1860 - In the United States, the wienerwurst became known as a "wienie" in the 1860s and as a "wiener" by the early 1990s.

Also in doubt is who first served the first hot dog! Wieners and frankfurters don't become hot dogs until someone puts them in a roll or a bun. There are several stories or legends as to how this first happened. As the cuisine of Germany relies heavily upon sausages of all shapes and sizes, it stands to reason that the German people would bring these sausages with them to America.