 Aschnitzelcordon bleu, as served in Switzerland | |
| Place of origin |  Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Veal orchicken breast,cheese,ham, honey mustard,bread crumbs |
Acordon bleu (French:[kɔʁdɔ̃blø]) orschnitzelcordon bleu is meat wrapped around cheese (or with cheese filling), then breaded and pan-fried or deep-fried.
Veal or porkcordon bleu is made of meat pounded thin and wrapped around a slice of meat, breaded, and then pan-fried orbaked.[1] For chickencordon bleu, chicken breast is used instead of veal.[2] Hamcordon bleu is ham stuffed with mushrooms and cheese.[3]
TheFrench termcordon bleu is translated as "blue ribbon".[4] According toLarousse Gastronomique, thecordon bleu "was originally a wide blue ribbon worn by members of the highest order of knighthood,L'Ordre des chevaliers du Saint-Esprit, instituted byHenri III of France in 1578. By extension, the term has since been applied to food preparation to a very high standard and by outstanding cooks. The analogy no doubt arose from the similarity between the sash worn by the knights and the ribbons (generally blue) of a cook's apron."[5][6]
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The exact origin ofcordon bleu is unclear. The most accepted theory[according to whom?] is that a femaleValaisian cook in Switzerland created the recipe out of necessity to serve a large number of guests in one shift. However, its origin can also be traced back to a cooking competition in France in 1930, where the winning dish was named "le Cordon Bleu".
Another theory suggests that a Swiss cook prepared a dish on theSSBremen in 1933 to celebrate the achievement of a new record. Having just won ablue ribbon for his new record, the captain decided to ask the cook for a new dish: thecordon bleu, which the cook may have brought back from France or Switzerland.
Thecordon bleu was first mentioned in a cookbook from 1949. The earliest reference to "veal Cordon Bleu" is in theLos Angeles Times in 1958, while similar veal recipes are found from at least 1955.[6]
There are many variations of the recipe involving cutlet, cheese, and meat. A popular way to prepare chicken cordon bleu is tobutterfly a chicken breast, place a thin slice ofham inside, along with a thin slice of a soft, easily melted cheese. The chicken breast is then rolled into aroulade, coated in bread crumbs, and then deep-fried.[7] Other variations exist with the chicken baked[8] rather than fried.
Other common variations include omitting the bread crumbs,[9] wrapping the ham around the chicken, or usingbacon in place of ham.[10]
A similar dish popular in theAsturias province ofSpain iscachopo, a deep-fried cutlet of veal, beef or chicken wrapped around a filling of Serrano ham and cheese.[11] In Spain, a version made usually with just two slices of ham and cheese, although it can also be found with chicken or pork loin added, is often calledsan jacobo.[citation needed]
A common variant inUruguay andArgentina is themilanesa rellena. It consists of two beef or chicken fillets passed through beaten egg, later, stuffed with cooked ham and mozzarella cheese and superimposed like a sandwich. Once this is done, they are again passed through beaten eggs and breadcrumbs, to be fried or baked. It is usually served withpapas fritas (french fries) as a garnish.[citation needed]
In largelyMuslim-populated countries,halal versions of chicken cordon bleu are also popular: the chicken is rolled around beef or mutton instead of pork.[citation needed]
