| Veal Milanese | |
| Alternate Name: | |
| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Milan, Lombardy |
| Associated Cuisine: | Italian (Lombard) |
| Course: | Italian: [[Italian meal structure#Formal meal structure|Secondo]] (Italian course) |
| Main Ingredient: | Veal rib chop or sirloin bone-in |
Veal Milanese (it|'''cotoletta alla milanese''', pronounced as /it/; lmo|label=[[Milanes]]e|co(s)toletta a la milanesa, pronounced as /lmo/; from French)[1] is a popular variety of Italian: [[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 Italian: orecchia d'elefante in Italian, meaning 'elephant's ear'.[3]
A common variation made with chicken is popular in English-speaking countries and bears the name "chicken Milanese" (it|pollo alla milanese|links=no).[4]
In Milan, a dish called Latin: lumbolos cum panitio 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. 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 French: côtelette révolution française (it|cotoletta rivoluzione francese||[[French Revolution]] cutlet|links=no).[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 Italian: cotoletta alla milanese brought by Italian immigrants and are known as Spanish; Castilian: [[milanesa]]. A local variation of Spanish; Castilian: milanesa is called Spanish; Castilian: {{ill|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]
. Horizon Cookbook and Illustrated History of Eating and Drinking Through the Ages. William Harlan Hale. American Heritage. New York. 1968. 516.