How Chicken-Fried Steak Became An Icon Of Texas

Made of beef that's breaded and fried similarly to fried chicken, chicken-fried steak goes back to the 19th century, when an influx of German and Austrian settlers moved to Texas.

When European immigrants settled in Texas in the 1800s, they brought with them the tradition of cooking Wiener schnitzel, a breaded and fried veal cutlet popular in their homeland.

Because it was difficult for the average person to access veal at this time, Texas instead used beef. It made for a cheap meal typically enjoyed by the working class.

The dish's name first graced a Colorado cafeteria menu in 1914 and didn't appear on a Texan menu until 1932, though it can be assumed it was being eaten for long before that.

Chicken-fried steak wouldn't become strongly associated with Texas until the 1970s, when it was essentially adopted as the state dish.