When a Schnitzel is misused for stupid extravagance
The delicious breaded Schnitzel gave this blog its name. That’s why I consider it necessary to point out certain perversions of traditional cuisine. The golden “Kaiser Schnitzel” needs to be called out.
Prepared by the Schnitzelhuber restaurant in Düsseldorf, the golden Schnitzel comes not only coated in bread crumbs but also with truffels and gold.
Yes, you read that right. The breading of the veal sports 24-carat gold leaf. But the tasteless precious metal isn’t the most extravagant ingredient of this dish which is offered at a German self-service restaurant (sic!). It’s the truffles – usually sold for $2,000 to $3,500 per pound – that make for a luxurious lunch. Schnitzelhuber charges €150 ($214) for the “delicacy”.
Restaurant owner Thomas Huber said the imperial schnitzel comes with a traditional potato salad and a glass of champagne. He is not the first to have the golden idea, Huber told a German tabloid. In fact, his imperial schnitzel revives regal eating habits that stretch back at least 1,000 years. ”The Eastern Roman emperors used to order the best pieces of meat be topped with leaf gold.”
Rich people picked up the habit but it was finally prohibited in 1514 – until Huber resurrected it in 2006, when he first put in on his menu. Since then he has sold about 100 of the precious cutlets. However, Huber’s schnitzel went public only this week with a report in the local media. The chef said with the economic and financial problems still dominating the news he previously had not dared to publicize the decadent dish.
