Corn schnitzel is an

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ( ...

fried

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...

dish and variant of Israeli schnitzel that is especially popular among

vegetarians Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

vegans Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

, Kashrut keepers and children.

History

Although corn is not a popular vegetable used in traditional

Jewish cuisine Jewish cuisine refers to the worldwide cooking traditions of the Jewish people. During its evolution over the course of many centuries, it has been shaped by Jewish dietary laws (''kashrut''), Jewish festivals and holidays, and traditions c ...

, except for Romanian Jewish cuisine, corn schnitzel was invented by Israelis in the early 20th century. The popularity of corn rose as corn schnitzel became an inexpensive substitute for chicken schnitzel in Israel during the 20th century due to the country's populace enduring economic difficulties and the relative low cost of corn compared to the chicken, turkey and fish used in regular Israeli schnitzel. Corn schnitzel became a popular dish prepared at home and a mainstay of Israel's restaurant menus. When economic conditions in Israel began to improve later in the 20th century, corn schnitzel became popular with the large number of vegetarians and vegans in the country, as for a time it was one of the few vegetarian options on most restaurant menus. Beginning in the 1970s commercially produced premade corn schnitzel began to be sold in frozen form by Osem, Ta'amti and others, and many vegetarians purchased these frozen versions of the dish as it was an easy to prepare and inexpensive option. As

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat ( red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetaria ...

and

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

have increased in popularity in Israel over the last few decades, corn schnitzel's popularity has waned in favor of falafel as well as various newer

meat substitutes A meat alternative or meat substitute (also called plant-based meat or fake meat, sometimes pejoratively) is a food product made from vegetarian or vegan ingredients, eaten as a replacement for meat. Meat alternatives typically approximate qua ...

. Today corn schnitzel has become especially popular with children, and is a mainstay of children's menus across the country, and is commonly served as a public

school lunch A school meal or school lunch (also known as hot lunch, a school dinner, or school breakfast) is a meal provided to students and sometimes teachers at a school, typically in the middle or beginning of the school day. Countries around the world ...

and by parents at home due to its perception as a "healthy" alternative to chicken schnitzel as it is made with corn instead of chicken.

Overview

Corn schnitzel consists of frozen, canned, or other cooked corn that has been puréed in a food processor and mixed with egg, flour, breadcrumbs, and various spices and seasonings to form a stiff batter. The batter is then scooped and formed into disks or oval-shaped, then it is breaded with a mixture of breadcrumbs and sesame seeds and fried. It is often served with

ketchup Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and tangy flavor. The unmodified term ("ketchup") now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes used egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes, mussels, or walnuts, among ot ...

and a side of

French fries French fries ( North American English), chips ( British English), finger chips (Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or '' allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France ...

mashed potatoes Mashed potato or mashed potatoes ( American and Canadian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butter, salt and pepper. It is generally served as ...

, especially by children in Israel among whom the dish is popular.

History

Overview

References

See also