Veal Milanese (Italian: cotoletta alla milanese, Italian: [kotoˈletta alla milaˈneːze, -eːse]; Milanese: co(s)toletta a la milanesa, Lombard: [ku(s)tuˈlɛta a la milaˈneːza]; from French côtelette)[1] is a popular variety of cotoletta (veal cutlet preparation) from the city of Milan, Italy. It is traditionally prepared with a veal rib chop or sirloin bone-in and made into a breaded cutlet, fried in butter.[2] Due to its shape, it is often called oreggia d'elefant in Milanese or orecchia d'elefante in Italian, meaning 'elephant's ear'.[3]

Veal Milanese
Veal Milanese with potatoes
Alternative namesCotoletta alla milanese (Italian)
Co(s)toletta a la milanesa (Lombard)
CourseSecondo (Italian course)
Place of originItaly
Region or stateMilan, Lombardy
Associated cuisineItalian (Lombard)
Main ingredientsVeal rib chop or sirloin bone-in
Veal Milanese with a side of risotto alla milanese

A common variation made with chicken is popular in English-speaking countries and bears the name "chicken Milanese" (Italian: pollo alla milanese).[4]

History

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In Milan, a dish called lumbolos cum panitio (lit.'chops with bread') was served in 1134. It is mentioned at a banquet for the canons of the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan.[5][6] It is not known if the meat was covered in breadcrumbs or if it was served with bread as a side dish.[7] Further evidence dates to around the 1st century BC indicating that the Romans enjoyed dishes of thin sliced meat, which was breaded and fried.[5] The dish resembles the Austrian dish Wiener schnitzel, which originated in Austria around the 19th century;[8] according to some, the two dishes might be related—Milan was part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, in the Austrian Empire, until 1859—although the history of neither is clear.[9] According to Massimo Alberini, the dish was created in France and brought to Italy and Austria during Napoleonic Wars. The dish was first called côtelette révolution française (Italian: cotoletta rivoluzione francese, lit.'French Revolution cutlet').[10][11] A similar recipe of fried veal cutlet was published in 1735 by the French chef Joseph Menon.[12]

Various breaded meat dishes prepared in South America, particularly in Argentina, were inspired by the cotoletta alla milanese brought by Italian immigrants and are known as milanesa. A local variation of milanesa is called milanesa a la napolitana [es] ('Neapolitan-style Milanese [cutlet]') and is made similar to veal Milanese with a preparation of cheese (mozzarella) and tomato.[13]

See also

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  Media related to Cotoletta alla milanese at Wikimedia Commons

References

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  1. ^ "cotolétta". Vocabolario (in Italian). Treccani. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Veal Cutlets alla Milanese". La Cucina Italiana. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  3. ^ "I trucchi per fare una cotoletta alla milanese perfetta, croccante fuori e succosa dentro". Esquire (in Italian). 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Breaded Chicken Cutlets: Milanese And Lucchese". HuffPost. 2 November 2011. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Some History of Schnitzel". Kitchen Project. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  6. ^ Harlan Hale, William (1968). Horizon Cookbook and Illustrated History of Eating and Drinking Through the Ages. New York: American Heritage. p. 516.
  7. ^ "Vienna". the heart thrills. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  8. ^ Neudecker, Maria Anna (1831). Allerneuestes allgemeines Kochbuch (in German). Prague: Kronberger und Weber.
  9. ^ "I menù di DOI. La cotoletta milanese è davvero milanese o è viennese? La vera origine del piatto" (in Italian). Radio DeeJay. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  10. ^ Mariani, Carlotta (3 July 2019). "Cotolette: qual è la differenza tra la Schnitzel viennese e quella milanese?". Agrodolce (in Italian). Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  11. ^ Marzo Magno, Alessandro (28 March 2014). "La cotoletta alla milanese? Un regalo della rivoluzione francese..." Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  12. ^ Menon, Joseph (1768). La Science du maître d'hôtel cuisinier, avec des observations sur la connoissance & les propriétés des alimens. Nouvelle édition, revue & corrigée (in French). Paris: Leclerc. p. 57.
  13. ^ Martini, Lavinia (11 February 2024). "Strana storia della cotoletta milanese-napoletana che però è un piatto tipico argentino". CiboToday (in Italian). Retrieved 8 November 2024.