Chicken Cutlet

Since the colonial era, the cafes and cabins of India have shared a vibrant legacy of fusion food which has ventured beyond the subcontinental boundaries to appear in most global cuisines. In its grand repertoire of fried delicacies, the retro diners of the country, especially the cabins of Kolkata, have never failed to showcase their crown beacon, the Chicken Cutlet, or Foul Cutlet in the way they are still listed in most traditional cafes.

To make a gorgeous golden brown and iconic diamond-shaped Chicken Cutlet, either boneless fillets or minced chicken is first smeared in a marinade of chillies, lemon, and spices, then dipped in a bowl of beaten eggs and finally smothered with a generous amount of breadcrumbs. When deep fried to a crispy golden texture, the dish is a perfect appetiser indispensable in wedding buffets and a trusted showstopper of any snack platter. The traditional chicken cutlet mixes minced meat and mashed potatoes to ensure a juicier bite and bind the ingredients together nicely. In old Kolkata cabins, no cutlet is ever complete without an accompanying dip of Kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce) and a salad of sliced onions, cucumber, and beetroot.

Over the years, Chicken cutlet has become such a sensation to the Bengalis that it is hard to remember that the dish originated in 17th century France and is essentially a colonial culinary cocktail. The word cutlet comes from the French word Cotelette, first used in 1682, referring to a variation of Croquettes and a typical French starter shaped like a small rib. Since its popularisation in the 1600s, the colonial ventures of European imperialists helped spread the recipe across the globe, giving rise to the Cuban Pollo Empanizado, the Japanese Katsuretsu, the Italian Cotoletta, the British chop and the Indian Cutlet.

Interestingly, the history of Chicken Cutlet is interspersed with the origin of potatoes in Indian cuisine. Contrary to a general notion that hails the British, potatoes were imported to the Indian subcontinent by either the Portuguese or the Dutch in the 16th century. However, it was British Governor General Lord Amherst who ordered the plantation of potatoes in Barrackpore in 1823. In the neutral palette and starchy tenderness of the potato, Bengalis found a perfect match for their age-old pungent mustard and cumin. Soon, potatoes, or Aloo as Bengalis prefer to call it, started appearing in most dishes. In all probability, colonial chefs of the 1860s decided to incorporate Bengal’s new infatuation, the Aloo, in the recipe of a traditional Cotoletta to create the modern masterpiece.