Milanesa

{{Short description|South American variation of an Italian dish}}

The milanesa is a variation of the Lombard veal Milanese, or the Austrian Wiener schnitzel, where generic types of breaded cutlet preparations are known as a milanesa.{{cite book |title=Argentina Cooks: Treasured Recipes from the Nine Regions of Argentina |first=Shirley Thomas |last=Brooks |publisher=Hippocrene Books |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iJptJLnzIVAC&q=milanesa&pg=PA51 |year=2003 |pages=51–52 |isbn=9780781809979 |access-date=3 July 2013 |via=Google Books}}

The milanesa was brought to the Southern Cone by Italian immigrants between 1860 and the 1920s. Its name probably reflects an original Milanese preparation, cotoletta alla milanese, which is similar to the Austrian Wiener schnitzel.{{cite web |url=http://yosoymukenio.blogspot.com/2005/10/la-verdad-de-la-milanesa.html |title=La verdad de la milanesa |trans-title=The truth of the milanesa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527001602/http://yosoymukenio.blogspot.com/2005/10/la-verdad-de-la-milanesa.html |archive-date=2008-05-27 |work=En Pampa y la vía [In Pampa and the road] |date=8 October 2005 |access-date=9 October 2008 |language=es |url-status=dead}}

A milanesa is a thin slice of beef, chicken, fish, veal, or sometimes pork dipped in egg and bread crumbs (or occasionally flour) with seasonings and fried.

Variations

File:Weekend in Buenos Aires.jpg

File:Milanesa napolitana (1).jpg

File:Chuleta_Valluna_-_Colombiana.jpg

Milanesa a la napolitana: Argentina

A milanesa with added tomato paste, mozzarella cheese, and sometimes ham. In the 1940s, in Buenos Aires, Milanesa a la napolitana ({{literally|milanesa in the Neapolitan style}} and named for José Napoli's restaurant{{cite web |title=The Milanesa Napolitana, a short history |url=https://cedron.es/the-milanesa-napolitana-a-short-history/ |website=Restaurante Cedrón Wine Bar |access-date=14 September 2024 |location=Madrid |date=29 October 2019}}) was first made at a restaurant called Napoli, located near Estadio Luna Park, when a chef covered up a burned milanesa with cheese, ham and tomato.{{cite web |title=The truth of the milanesa |url=https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/en/article/truth-milanesa |website=Official English Website for the City of Buenos Aires |publisher=Ente de Turismo del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires |access-date=14 September 2024 |language=en |date=3 May 2019}}{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/gastronomia/el-origen-de-la-milanesa-557404.html |title=El origen de la milanesa |newspaper=ABC Color |date=2013-04-13 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517151454/http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/gastronomia/el-origen-de-la-milanesa-557404.html |archive-date=2014-05-17 |trans-title=The origin of the milanesa}}{{Cite web |last=Esposito |first=Laura Muryel |date=2016-06-21 |title=Cotoletta alla napoletana, bontà partenopea nata da un errore. La ricetta |url=https://www.vesuviolive.it/cucina-ricette/153449-cotoletta-alla-napoletana-bonta-partenopea-nata-un-errore-la-ricetta/ |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=Vesuvio Live |language=en}} The dish is sometimes made out of chicken breast, suprema napolitana.

Milanesa is a popular dish in Argentina as in Uruguay and has been described as "one of the quintessential Río de la Plata dishes".{{cite web |url=https://www.infobae.com/tendencias/nutriglam/2018/05/03/dia-de-la-milanesa-los-secretos-detras-del-imprescindible-plato-de-la-cocina-portena/ |title=Día de la Milanesa: los secretos detrás del imprescindible plato de la cocina porteña |date=May 3, 2018 |access-date=March 14, 2019 |publisher=Infobae |language=es |trans-title=Milanesa Day: the secrets behind the essential dish of Buenos Aires cuisine}} They are the legacy of Italian immigrants, who introduced cotoletta alla milanese in the late 19th century and early 20th century.{{cite web |url=https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/dia-nacional-milanesa-origen_0_SJytotdpf.html |title=Día de la milanesa: cómo se creó uno de los platos favoritos de los argentinos |date=3 May 2015 |language=es |work=Clarín |access-date=March 14, 2019 |trans-title=Milanesa Day: how one of the favorite dishes of Argentines was created}} During that time, Argentina experienced a huge European immigration wave, with most immigrants coming from Italy. Argentines with Italian lineage is around 60 percent.{{cite web |last1=Vaughn |first1=Kevin |title=Argentinian Cooks Make Italian Pasta Their Own |url=https://www.eater.com/23380486/argentina-italy-immigrants-food-pasta-buenos-aires |website=Eater |access-date=14 September 2024 |language=en |date=11 October 2022}}

File:Ingredientes para hacer una milanesa.png

They are frequently served hot with fried or mashed potatoes; this dish is known as milanesa con papas fritas or milanesa con puré. In Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay it is often topped with a fried egg, known as milanesa a caballo ({{literally|milanesa riding horseback}}), but omits the tomato sauce.{{cite web |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/milanesa-a-caballo |title=Milanesa a caballo |work=TasteAtlas |access-date=April 12, 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://bodegaargento.com/en/argentine-recipes/milanesa-on-horseback-with-french-fries/ |title=Milanesa 'on horseback' with french fries |publisher=Bodega Argento |access-date=April 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413033839/https://bodegaargento.com/en/argentine-recipes/milanesa-on-horseback-with-french-fries/ |archive-date=2020-04-13 |url-status=dead}} They are often eaten cold as a sandwich filling, with salad. Mustard and mayonnaise are often used as seasoning.{{Cite book |last=Catena |first=Laura |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wd4QmnKs7N0C |title=Vino Argentino: An Insider's Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina |date=2011-11-18 |publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn=978-1-4521-0038-8 |page=181 |language=}} Other common condiments include lemon juice and salsa golf.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Chile

Milanesa Kaiser, or escalopa as it is known in Chile, is a variant (where normal milanese are also eaten) reminiscent of cordon bleu or valdostana, with a layer of melted cheese between the beef and a layer of ham. A classic Chilean version is called escalopa a lo pobre, topped with french fries, sautéed onions and fried eggs, akin to lomo a lo pobre.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Mexico—USA

In Mexico and the Southern United States, milanese are eaten in some regions, often in a torta (a sandwich made with a bolillo or a sandwich roll). In northern Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua (due to U.S. influence), it features lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise like a traditional sandwich, but the milanesa is also common in these regions as the main course of a meal. The milanesa memela napolitana is made with a thick fried tortilla with a milanesa on top, with ham, tomato sauce, and grated cheese. In Mexico, milanesa usually refers to the preparation method; any type of meat that is pounded thin, breaded, and fried might be referred to as a milanesa. In the northern state of Nuevo León, perhaps due to the influence of German and Czech immigrants, the dish known as milanesa is extremely popular and stands on its own as a main dish in most restaurants. It is usually served with French fries, refried beans, rice, and a lettuce salad.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Panama

In Panama, they are most commonly made of thinly sliced beef (usually sirloin steak), but also thin chicken fillet. Lime juice is squeezed over them before serving or eating them, and often they are also seasoned with hot sauce. They are eaten with white rice and other side dishes such as salad, lentils, or beans. The latter two are poured over the rice, as they are usually served in Panama while the salad is served off to the side where space is still left on the plate. When served as sandwiches, they are known as emparedado de milanesa or sandwich de milanesa when tomatoes, onions, lettuce, ketchup, or American cheese (queso amarillo i.e. yellow cheese) are added. Pan de molde (sandwich bread) and pan flauta (a Panamanian type of baguette that is thicker and softer) are the types of bread used to make these sandwiches.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Philippines

In the Philippines, milanesa is known as carne frita (not to be confused with bistek, which is also called carne frita in the Philippines), and is cooked in much the same way as described above (meat pounded until thin, flour, egg, breadcrumbs, fried). Admittedly, it is not as popular in the country as it is in South America, and it is served mainly in people's homes, not in restaurants. The families who do eat it usually serve milanesa/carne frita with white rice, a bean stew of some sort (for instance, white beans with a dark leafy green; also fabada), sometimes an American-style potato salad with cut green beans added, and often, chili ketchup or a mayo-ketchup mixed sauce not unlike the Argentine salsa golf. It is almost never served as a sandwich.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Poland

The Polish variety of milanesa is commonly known as kotlet schabowy, which is pork loin pounded with a mallet until it becomes thinner and soft, then coated with flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs and pan-fried. Also, kotlet drobiowy is made of chicken or turkey and prepared in a similar way, and kotlet wolowy is made of beef steak, pounded, soaked in milk for a few hours to tenderize the meat and then coated in flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs. Polish kotlet is traditionally served with cooked or mashed potatoes, fries, Silesian dumplings, sszałot, or rice. Typically, side dishes are traditional Polish salads such as mizeria, thinly grated carrot salad, Ćwikła, or a traditional Polish surówka. The history of the Polish kotlet dates back to the 19th century.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}