Eat the Match: Austria vs Jordan

Wiener Schnitzel and Mansaf.

Group J · San Francisco Bay Area · June 16, 2026 · Iris

Austria: Wiener Schnitzel

The Wiener Schnitzel is Austria's national dish and one of the most traveled preparations in culinary history — the pounded, breadcrumbed, fried veal cutlet that gave rise to cotoletta in Italy, tonkatsu in Japan, and milanesa across South America. The Austrian original requires veal, requires fine breadcrumbs (not panko — that's the Japanese improvement), and requires a specific wave-like texture in the coating produced by moving the pan during frying. A true Wiener Schnitzel is not flat. It billows.

Ingredients

• 4 veal escalopes, about 150g each (or thin pork cutlets if veal is unavailable)
• salt and white pepper
• 80g plain flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 150g fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1 litre clarified butter or neutral oil, for frying
• lemon wedges and parsley sprigs, to serve

Method

1. Pound the escalopes between plastic wrap to 3mm thickness. Season with salt and white pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in beaten egg, let excess drip. Press into breadcrumbs on both sides — do not press hard. The coating should be loose and not compacted.
2. Heat clarified butter or oil in a wide pan to 170°C. The schnitzel must swim in the fat — not sit in a thin layer. Fry one or two at a time; gently shake the pan during frying so the schnitzel moves slightly — this is the technique that produces the characteristic billowed, wave-like coating. Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden. Drain on a rack immediately. Serve with lemon and parsley. A Wiener Schnitzel waits for no one.

Jordan: Mansaf

Mansaf is Jordan's national dish and the dish of celebration — whole pieces of lamb braised in jameed (a dried and fermented sheep's milk product) until the meat falls from the bone, served over rice and flatbread with the jameed broth poured over everything. The jameed gives mansaf its particular sour, funky, rich character that distinguishes it from any other lamb preparation. Outside the Middle East, dried jameed is available at Levantine grocery stores; it must be soaked and dissolved before use.

Ingredients

• 1.2kg bone-in lamb shoulder or leg, cut into large pieces
• 200g dried jameed (or substitute 2 tbsp sour cream + 500ml whole milk + 1 tbsp yogurt as a rough approximation — note this is not the same)
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• salt and pepper
• 400g long-grain rice, cooked separately
• flatbread (shrak or lavash), for serving
• toasted almonds and pine nuts, to garnish
• fresh parsley, to finish

Method

1. If using dried jameed: soak in 1 litre warm water for 2 hours, breaking it up as it softens, then strain to remove any grit.
2. Brown the lamb pieces in oil. In a separate pot, cook the onion until soft. Add spices, cook 1 minute. Add the lamb and enough water to cover. Simmer covered for 1 hour until the lamb is tender. Add the jameed liquid (or the milk mixture) to the broth. Stir gently and simmer on very low heat for 30 more minutes — do not let it boil vigorously as the jameed can split. Adjust seasoning.
3. To serve: layer flatbread on a large platter, then rice, then lamb pieces. Pour some of the broth over everything to moisten. Scatter toasted nuts and parsley. Serve remaining broth in a bowl for each person to add more.