A tasty alternative to potato cutlets, tapioca cutlets are eaten as a snack in Kerala. They are also called Maravalli Kizhangu Cutlets. Cutlets, a variation of croquettes, were first served as a starter in France. They later became popular across Europe. The word cutlet comes from the French word ‘côtelette’, and was first used as early as 1682. In Italian, cotoletta is used to describe food that has been dipped in egg and bread crumbs and then fried. Within the Indian subcontinent, cutlet may also refer to minced meat that has been coated in breadcrumbs and cooked until golden-brown. When cooked only with potatoes, sans meat, it becomes aloo tikki.