Schnitzel, from Vienna to Munich

A schnitzel is a thin, tender slice of meat, and in its Viennese form, the Wiener Schnitzel, it is pounded flat, coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried until the crust turns golden and wavy. Vienna claims the classic, but Munich inns and beer tents serve schnitzel too, made from veal or, labeled Wiener Art, from pork. Here is what schnitzel is, why Wiener Schnitzel must be veal, where the Milan legend comes from, and our editors' schnitzel recipe in US measures.

What is schnitzel?

In German, Schnitzel first of all names a cut, not a dish. The guidelines of the German Food Code describe it as a slice of lean meat with little sinew or fat, left in one natural piece and suited to quick pan frying or grilling. If no animal is named or otherwise evident, the guidelines assume pork; schnitzel from any other animal is labeled accordingly, as in Kalbsschnitzel (veal), Putenschnitzel (turkey) or Hähnchenschnitzel (chicken). Slices from the pork neck may also be sold as Nackenschnitzel.

The Austrian Register of Traditional Foods finds Schnitzel used for palm-sized slices of meat as early as the 17th century and cites a veal recipe printed in 1683.

Wiener Schnitzel: veal by definition

Wiener means "from Vienna", which is Wien in German. So the spelling weiner schnitzel is a misspelling. In both Austria and Germany, official food guidelines tie the name to veal. The Austrian Food Codex describes it as a veal cutlet breaded with flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs and fried in fat; the German guidelines say simply that Wiener Schnitzel is breaded veal.

A schnitzel from another animal prepared the same way has to say so. German menus therefore offer Schweineschnitzel Wiener Art, pork schnitzel in the Viennese style, or Putenschnitzel Wiener Art for turkey; in Austria the register calls the pork version Schnitzel Wiener Art. The German guidelines also cap the breading: at most 20 percent of the total weight when applied, and no more than 35 percent in the fried product.

In the traditional Viennese method described by the register, the veal comes from the leg and is fried in lard, while clarified butter or neutral oil are also used today. A good crust is golden and puffs up in places, leaving room for a knife's back between crumbs and meat. A classic recipe quoted there flattens the cutlets to about 6 mm and fries them in fat 2 to 3 cm deep.

Pork schnitzel and chicken schnitzel

The Austrian register reports that the breaded schnitzel reached the festive meals of ordinary people around the middle of the 19th century, and that cooks then often used the cheaper pork instead of veal. At first it appeared only at Christmas, New Year and weddings.

For pork schnitzel, choose lean, boneless slices from the loin or the leg; the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, for example, names the Oberschale, the top round from the leg, as the cut for its pork schnitzel. Some variants skip the crumbs: the Pariser Schnitzel is dipped only in flour and egg, and the Schnitzel à la Holstein is an unbreaded veal cutlet topped with a fried egg and anchovies.

Schnitzel in Munich

Three Munich menus from 2026 show the naming rules at work and what comes with schnitzel on the plate:

• At the Oktoberfest, the Löwenbräu tent listed a Wiener Schnitzel of veal with potato salad and wild lingonberries for 38.50 euros.
• The Schützen tent served a large pork schnitzel from pigs raised on straw, fried in clarified butter until the crust turned wavy, with potato salad, lemon and lingonberries, for 27.50 euros.
• On the October 2026 menu of the Hofbräuhaus, a pork schnitzel Wiener Art with potato salad, lemon and lingonberries costs 19.90 euros.

Looking for schnitzel near you in Munich? The menus above are a starting point; see also our page on Bavarian inn culture (in German), the German potato salad that goes with it, and more in Bavarian food.

Schnitzel recipe from our editors

Serves 4. Prep time 20 minutes, cooking time about 15 minutes. It works for pork, chicken and veal, which makes a true Wiener Schnitzel.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork cutlets from the loin or leg, 4 veal cutlets, or 2 chicken breasts, about 1¼ lb (560 g) in total
• 1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1½ cups (about 160 g) fine dry breadcrumbs, unseasoned
• about 4 cups (1 liter) neutral vegetable oil, lard or clarified butter for frying
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Trim off fat and sinew; cut chicken breasts horizontally into two thin cutlets. Pound the meat gently between sheets of plastic wrap to an even ¼ inch (6 mm) and nick the edges so the cutlets stay flat.
2. Set out three shallow plates: the flour in the first, the eggs in the second, beaten with the milk and a pinch of salt just until smooth, and the breadcrumbs in the third. Season the meat on both sides with the salt and pepper.
3. Turn each cutlet in the flour and tap off the excess, draw it through the egg, then turn it in the crumbs without pressing hard. Bread the cutlets just before frying.
4. In a wide, heavy skillet, heat the fat to a depth of about ¾ inch (2 cm) and a temperature of 320 to 340 °F (160 to 170 °C). The pan should be no more than half full. Keep a lid within reach and keep water away from the hot fat.
5. Lay two cutlets in the fat, letting them slide in away from you. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes while gently rocking the pan so the fat washes over the top; this makes the crust lift in waves. Turn once and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes until both sides are golden brown.
6. Drain the schnitzel on a rack and keep warm at 200 °F (93 °C) while you fry the rest. Check the thickest piece with an instant-read thermometer: chicken needs 165 °F (74 °C), pork and veal 145 °F (63 °C) followed by a 3 minute rest.
7. Serve right away with lemon wedges, German potato salad or parsley potatoes and, if you like, lingonberry jam.

Alfons Schuhbeck's trick

In the Wiener Schnitzel he has published on his website, the Munich chef Alfons Schuhbeck whisks a spoonful of whipped cream into the eggs, uses the coarser Viennese style flour known as Wiener Grießler, sprinkles the thin veal with lemon juice before breading and lays it in the crumbs without pressing them on. While the schnitzel fries, he rocks the pan so the hot fat sloshes over the meat and the crust lifts in waves. The full recipe, in German, is available from Alfons Schuhbeck on schuhbeck.de.