Wiener Schnitzel is a thin, breaded and deep fried Schnitzel from veal. It belongs to the best known speciality of Viennese cuisine. The Wiener Schnitzel is the national dish of Austria.

The designation "Wiener Schnitzel" first appeared in the end of the 19th century, the first known mention was in a cookbook from 1831. In the popular southern German cookbook by Katharina Prato it was mentioned as eingebröselte Kalbsschnitze.

The Wiener Schnitzel is possibly based on the Costoletta alla milanese from Northern Italy, which is prepared similarly to the thicker pork chop and found its way to Vienna in the 14th or 15th century. This hypothesis has however not been proven. According to a legend, field marshal Joseph Radetz von Radetz brought the recipe from Italy to Vienna in 1857. The linguist Heinz Dieter Pohl however found out in 2007 that this story had been invented.