With 9 completed countries so far, I am very much enjoying this challenge. I'm as motivated — or even more — as when I started with Afghanistan. And I'm excited that I still have a long way ahead. Now, for my 10th country and dish, I go back to prepare another European country. This week: Austria!

Country

Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, of which the capital Vienna is the most populous city and state.

Austria, as a unified state, emerged from the remnants of the Eastern and Hungarian March at the end of the first millennium, first as a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, it then developed into a Duchy in 1156, and was made an Archduchy in 1453. Being the heartland of the Habsburg monarchy since the late 13th century, Austria was a major imperial power in Central Europe for centuries and from the 16th century, Vienna also served as the Holy Roman Empire's administrative capital. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, two years after Austria had established its own empire, which became a great power and one of the largest states in Europe. The empire's defeat in wars and the loss of territories in the 1860s paved the way for the establishment of Austria-Hungary in 1867.

After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, Emperor Franz Joseph declared war on Serbia, which rapidly escalated into World War I. The empire's defeat and subsequent collapse led to the proclamation of the Republic of German-Austria in 1918 and the First Austrian Republic in 1919. During the interwar period, anti-parliamentarian sentiments culminated in the formation of an Austrofascist dictatorship under Engelbert Dollfuss in 1934. A year before the outbreak of World War II, Austria was annexed into Nazi Germany by Adolf Hitler, and it became a sub-national division. After its liberation in 1945 and a decade of Allied occupation, the country regained its sovereignty and declared its perpetual neutrality in 1955.

Nowadays Austria is a semi-presidential representative democracy with a popularly elected president as head of state and a chancellor as head of government and chief executive. Austria has the 13th highest nominal GDP per capita with high standards of living. The country has been a member of the United Nations since 1955 and of the European Union since 1995.

Cuisine

Austria's cuisine is derived from that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian cuisine is rooted in the long-standing traditions of the imperial court kitchen ("Hofküche"), which evolved over centuries within the Habsburg monarchy. It is distinguished by its refined and well-balanced preparation of beef and pork, as well as by a wide variety of vegetable-based dishes.

In addition to native regional traditions, the cuisine has been influenced by Hungarian, Czech, Polish, Jewish, Italian, Balkan, and French cuisines, from which both dishes and methods of food preparation have often been borrowed. The Austrian cuisine is therefore one of the most multicultural and transcultural in Europe.

Chosen Dish

Again, I had a bit of trouble choosing which dish to prepare this week, mainly because I found the recipes too simple or similar to what I've already prepared. But ultimately I decided to go with: Wiener Schnitzel.

For a moment I thought it was too simple because it is similar to other dishes in the world, especially one we have in Latin America. For example, in Mexico and Argentina we have milanesas, and in Italy it is known as cotoletta alla milanese.

However, I realized two things: while all are similar, each has its own methods. For example, in Latin America, milanesas are prepared in oil, while the Wiener Schnitzel is done with clarified butter, or ghee. And second… I've never actually mastered the breading technique. Sure I've tried it, but every time it either falls off, looks weird, or is not breaded enough.

So why not take this opportunity to try again with another technique, while trying a signature dish from Austria?

Ingredients

• 6 veal cutlets
• 2 eggs
• Salt
• Wheat flour
• Breadcrumbs
• 300g/10.58oz clarified butter (also named Ghee)

Getting Ready

Getting the ingredients is easy; however, it is worth mentioning in this step that you can either go the easy and fast route and buy the clarified butter, since it is common and easily available, or you can go one step further and do it yourself. I have to admit I went with the first option because of timing, but making my own ghee is something I'm definitely doing in the not-so-distant future.

However, if you want to make your own, here is a video you can follow. 

Preparation

1. If necessary, use a sharp knife to trim away any remaining fat or gristle from the cutlets.
2. Place each cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer or mallet to pound them flat.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Set up two large trays or plates — fill one with flour and the other with breadcrumbs.
   
   
   
   
   
4. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs.
5. Season the cutlets with salt to taste, then dredge them first in the flour, shaking gently to remove any excess.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Dip them into the beaten egg, ensuring they are thoroughly coated on all sides.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Place the cutlet in the tray of breadcrumbs, sprinkle a few more breadcrumbs over the top, and gently press down with your hands to ensure the breadcrumbs adhere firmly to both sides.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Shake off any excess breadcrumbs once more, place the cutlet on a clean plate, and repeat the entire process with the remaining cutlets.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Once the ghee is hot, place the first cutlet in to fry for 2–3 minutes per side.
   
   
   
   
   
10. As soon as it turns golden, flip it over; once golden on both sides, remove it and place it on a plate lined with paper towels.
11. Fry all six cutlets and serve immediately.
    
    
    
    
    

The Result

Yeah… you know what I'm gonna say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
Another delicious dish, and a personal success. Not only because it's another completed country and it turned out looking nice with a great taste, but because it's also the first time my breading looks so nice and consistent.

A regular side for Wiener Schnitzel is potatoes. Looking online, I saw there is no exact way — meaning they can be fried, sliced, mashed, etc. In my case, I boiled my potatoes for 20 minutes, cut them, and then fried them with a little bit of ghee and salt.

As a second side I added some greens because, remember: always eat your veggies!

The only difference from the pictures I saw in the recipes I searched is that mine look a bit darker than they're supposed to, but I believe it's because of the type/brand of breadcrumbs I used. Even though they look darker, they are by no means burnt. And this is exactly why ghee (clarified butter) is used.

Ghee resists high temperatures and doesn't burn easily, unlike regular butter, which still contains milk and water. Clarified butter only has the fats — no milk or water — making it much more heat resistant.

If you have no ghee available, you can also use olive oil. It'll give you similar results. For both, the secret is that it has to be hot but not smoky.

What Did I Learn

Wiener Schnitzel sure is a simple and easy dish to make, and like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, it's very similar (98%) to Latin American milanesas — but that doesn't mean it's not a fun dish to prepare. Especially keeping in mind that what I'm preparing is something enjoyed daily in another part of the world. This in fact taught me how to improve my milanesa-making skills.

And second, there's more than oil in the kitchen. So far in all my dishes I've used oil, be it olive oil, palm oil, and even grapeseed oil; this is the first time I use a different fat, and I loved the different flavor it gives, and specifically being ghee, how it behaves at high temperatures. This is exactly what I'm enjoying the most: how to use new and different ingredients and techniques.

Next week I hit a milestone because it'll be the last country with the letter A. One more to complete the first letter of the alphabet… luckily I'm still nowhere near the end.
See you next week for: Azerbaijan!