Food - Drink
Scallopini: The Italian Classic With French Roots
By KATIE HORST
Scallopini is an Italian dish traditionally made with thinly-sliced veal that is lightly coated in flour, fried in a pan, and finished in a sauce of butter, wine, and capers. This dish uses fairly common Italian ingredients, and its name also sounds 100% Italian, but scallopini actually has surprising French roots in its origins and preparation.
Scallopini is likely derived from the 17th-century French word escalope, which refers to thin slices of meat, and to a French cutlet dish that is similar to scallopini, though scallopini originated in the 1940's. Nearly all Western nations have their own version of thinly-pounded and fried meat cutlets, such as the German/Austrian schnitzel.
Besides the fact that escalope as a concept predates scallopini, there are more differences between these dishes. Chicken escalope is sometimes coated in breadcrumbs instead of flour and served with a creamy mushroom sauce, while scallopini can be made with a variety of meats, and artichokes or mushrooms can be added to the sauce.