Pozharsky cutlet
A Pozharsky cutlet served with mashed potatoes, mushroom sauce and sliced cucumber
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| Alternative names | Chicken suprême Pojarski, Veal chop Pojarski |
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| Type | Patty, minced cutlet |
| Course | Main |
| Place of origin | Russia |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Chicken or veal, bread crumbs, butter |
A Pozharsky cutlet (Russian: пожарская котлета, pozharskaya kotleta, plural: пожарские котлеты, pozharskie kotlety; also spelled Pojarski) is a breaded ground chicken or veal patty that is typical for Russian cuisine. A distinct feature of this cutlet is adding butter to minced meat which results in an especially juicy and tender consistency. The dish was created in the beginning of the 19th century in Russia and later adopted by French haute cuisine.
The general Russian term kotleta (cutlet) may denote both a thin slice of meat and a cutlet-shaped patty made of ground meat. The latter meaning is much more common today. Both meanings are also used in haute cuisine.Escoffier notes that minced chicken cutlets differ from chicken croquettes only in shape.
A popular historical myth related the creation of this dish to count Dmitry Pozharsky. In reality, the dish name is associated with another Pozharsky family, the owners of an inn and a restaurant in Torzhok. Located between Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the small town of Torzhok was a common place for coach stops where the travellers took a break and changed horses.Alexander Pushkin recommended in 1826 in a letter to a friend to "dine at Pozharsky in Torzhok, try fried cutlets and set out with a light mood".
At that time the inn was owned by Yevdokim Pozharsky, a coachman. The preparation method is usually attributed to Darya Pozharskaya, the daughter of Yevdokim. Several legends appeared about the origin of this dish. According to one legend, the recipe was given to the Pozharskys by a poor French traveller as payment for the accommodation.
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Wikipedia