History Of The Origins Of The Veal Milanese

Contrary to what one might think, the Veal Milanese (Cotoletta alla Milanese), one of the most typical and well-known dishes of Milan together with the Milanese Risotto, has very ancient origins.

It is in fact it was in the list of food offered for lunch by an abbot to the canons of S. Ambrogio in 1134.

Despite its ancient origins, however, in the Nineteenth century the paternity of the Milanese chop was at the center of a dispute between the Austrians, who at the time ruled Lombardy, and the Milanese people.

In fact, the former claimed that the Veal Milanese (Cotoletta alla Milanese) came from the Wiener Schnitzel, while the latter claimed the exact opposite.

The question became in a short time a real patriotic dispute that subsided only in the moment in which the Common Marshal Radetzky, in a letter addressed to the aide-de-camp of Emperor Franz Joseph, the Count of Attems, minutely described the Veal Milanese claiming they never ate such a dish in Austria.

The admission of the field marshal was accepted as the recognition of the cultural identity of the Milanese, to the point that the legend spread that after reading the letter the Count of Attems exclaimed: “a schnitzel can harm the empire more than the opera My prisons by Silvio Pellico – a schnitzel can be enough to fortify the soul of the Lombard rebel and to destroy the victory of Custoza! “