An escalope ( , , ), also scallop in the US (not to be confused with the shellfish), is traditionally a piece of boneless meat that has been thinned out using a

mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. General overview The term is descriptive of the ...

rolling pin A rolling pin is a cylindrical food preparation utensil used to shape and flatten dough. Two styles of rolling pin are found: rollers and rods. Roller types consists of a thick cylinder with small handles at each end; rod type rolling pins are ...

or beaten with the handle of a knife, or merely butterflied. The mallet breaks down the fibres in the meat, making it more tender. The meat is then coated and fried. The thinner meat cooks faster with more moisture loss.

Common sizes

The typical sizes of an escalope used in the food industry range from 110 to 225 g (4–8 oz).

Paillard or scallop

is an older French culinary term referring to a quick-cooking, thinly sliced or pounded piece of meat. In France, it has been largely replaced by the word .

Origin

The term originated in France. It first appeared in cookery terminology late in the 17th century as a dialectal expression in the northeast of rural France, originally meaning a shelled nut or mollusk: (

veal Veal is the meat of Calf (animal), calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any List of cattle breeds, breed; however, most veal comes from young male calves of Dairy cattle, dairy b ...

cooked in the style of an escalope). In those days, an was undoubtedly always veal.

Other uses

The term "escalope" is also applied to meat-free products such as

Quorn Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 11 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin. Quorn is sold as both a cooking ingredient and as ...

(mycoprotein) escalopes, which have a cheese and broccoli sauce encased in bread crumbs. In Australia the term escalope is also applied to potatoes that have been thinly sliced. Potatoes that are thinly sliced, battered, then fried are often called "scallops".

References

External links