Pozharsky cutlet

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. == History ==

A popular historical myth related the creation of this dish to prince Dmitry Pozharsky. 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. Initially the patties were made of ground beef or veal. The chicken version appeared probably in 1830–1840s when Darya Pozharskaya inherited the inn after her father's death. Victor d’Arlincourt (1843) and Théophile Gautier (1875). Pelageya Alexandrova-Ignatieva notes in The Practical Fundamentals of the Cookery Art (1899–1916) that the same cutlets can also be made from game (grouse, partridge etc.). The chicken cutlet Pozharsky was later included in the Soviet Book of Tasty and Healthy Food and remained a common restaurant dish during the Soviet period. == Variants ==

Various authors describe somewhat different procedures of preparing these cutlets. For presentation, the meat can be formed on a veal chop bone (for veal cutlets) or a chicken wing bone (for chicken cutlets). == Semi-processed cutlets ==

In the middle of the 20th century, industrially produced, semi-processed ground meat cutlets were introduced in the USSR. Colloquially known as Mikoyan cutlets (named after Soviet politician Anastas Mikoyan), these were cheap pork or beef cutlet-shaped patties which resembled American burgers. Some varieties bore names of well-known Russian restaurant dishes but they had little in common with the original dishes. In particular, a variety of a pork patty was called "Pozharsky cutlet". == See also ==