And while both the Schnitzel and the Scaloppine share the same basic cooking technique – tender medallions of veal pounded thin and then quickly sautéed. The similarities end there.

The Schnitzel is decidedly German while the Scaloppine is Italian.

Scaloppine or Scallopini, is Italian for ‘scallops’ or ‘escalopes,’ literally tender cutlets of meat. The word Schnitzel, on the other hand, is derived from the Old German word ‘snidan’ which means ‘to cut’ as in thinly cut meat.

The Scaloppine is almost always made with veal loin, while the Schnitzel is less tied to tradition when it comes to meat – in addition to veal, the Schnitzel is quite good when made using chicken breast, beef or pork tenderloin, even meat from the saddle of a rabbit.

The Scaloppine prefers the casual dress associated with the warmer climate of the Italian Mediterranean, while the Schnitzel tends to dress in more formal attire better suited to the cooler regions of Germany. A quick dusting of flour and the Scaloppine is ready for a hot frying pan.

The Schnitzel favors more wintry garb – an undergarment of flour, a second layer of beaten egg, and then a topcoat of fresh breadcrumbs that fry into a deliciously crisp and buttery shell.

The garnishes and sauces used to adorn the Scaloppine and the Schnitzel are too numerous to list. A squeeze of juice from a fresh lemon and a generous scattering of curly parsley are often seen on plates of Scaloppine or platters of Schnitzel.

The Italians might throw a few pine nuts, a spoon of tangy capers, or some chopped tomatoes into the sauté pan to make a quick sauce for a Scaloppine. If one is feeling indulgent on a special occasion, fresh crabmeat and a voluptuous bernaise sauce may be the topping on a Scaloppine with a side dish of linguine and shaved parmesan.

The German cook might add some wild chanterelle mushrooms to the pan with a couple of knobs of fresh butter and some chopped sage and call the dish Schnitzel Forest-style,” serving it with warm potato salad studded with sausage.