We won’t be surprised if you mention pork chop in the list of five most popular traditional Polish dishes. It seems that pork chop fried in clarified butter, covered with golden coating, served with fried cabbage and potatoes with dill is the quintessence and the most representative dish of our cuisine. Nobody has doubts about its importance in Polish menu, but it turns out that thorough history, it has not been so recognized and respected dish. How did it appear on our tables and how Polish it really is?

How did pork chop appear on our tables?

If you are Polish, you probably remember that pork chop has always been there on your table. This is why people think that it has been invented in Poland. The history of pork chop is quite different and much shorter. First myth that we are going to deal with is that pork chop is a Polish or even Old Polish dish.

You will be disappointed if you search for this dish in Old Polish cook books. The first appearance of the ‘chop’ can be found in 1860. Breaded pork chop premiered in the book called “365 dinners for five zlotys” (Pol. 365 obiadów za pięć złotych) by Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowska. ‘Five’ is not a random number here. Pork used to be known as the meat for physical workers from lower social class. Pork knuckle, hams and various sausages eaten by representatives of various social classes did not have a good opinion back in the day.

That is, however, not all. It was not only the usage of loin that displeased Polish gourmets. They also did not like the German origins of the dish.

Pork chop is not so Polish at it may seem. Cotoletta alla milanese was served in Lombardy as early as the 12th century in form of a breaded veal cutlet with bone. The tasty dish was well received in Saxony, but Austrian chefs has a problem recreating it, so they just changed the recipe; they would beat a slice of veal, cover it with flour, egg and crumbs and then fry in lard. That is how the famous Viennese schnitzel was created, giving birth to our Polish pork chop. Yet, Poles exchanged expensive veal with popular pork.

In PRL times, pork chop was the real king of Polish cuisine. However, its position was threatened by the fashion for being fit and the false rumors that pork is not beneficial for our health. Fortunately, we managed to put an end to these lies and today we know that pork is a valuable meat full of vitamins and iron.