Milanesa

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.^[1]

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.^[2]

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

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 (lit. 'milanesa in the Neapolitan style' and named for José Napoli's restaurant^[3]) 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.^[4]^[5]^[6] 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".^[7] They are the legacy of Italian immigrants, who introduced cotoletta alla milanese in the late 19th century and early 20th century.^[8] During that time, Argentina experienced a huge European immigration wave, with most immigrants coming from Italy. Argentines with Italian lineage is around 60 percent.^[9]

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 (lit. 'milanesa riding horseback'), but omits the tomato sauce.^[10]^[11] They are often eaten cold as a sandwich filling, with salad. Mustard and mayonnaise are often used as seasoning.^[12] Other common condiments include lemon juice and salsa golf.^{[citation needed]}

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]}

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]}

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]}

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]}

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]}

References

^ Brooks, Shirley Thomas (2003). Argentina Cooks: Treasured Recipes from the Nine Regions of Argentina. Hippocrene Books. pp. 51–52. ISBN 9780781809979. Retrieved 3 July 2013 – via Google Books.
^ "La verdad de la milanesa" [The truth of the milanesa]. En Pampa y la vía [In Pampa and the road] (in Spanish). 8 October 2005. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
^ "The Milanesa Napolitana, a short history". Restaurante Cedrón Wine Bar. Madrid. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
^ "The truth of the milanesa". Official English Website for the City of Buenos Aires. Ente de Turismo del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
^ "El origen de la milanesa" [The origin of the milanesa]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 13 April 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014.
^ Esposito, Laura Muryel (21 June 2016). "Cotoletta alla napoletana, bontà partenopea nata da un errore. La ricetta". Vesuvio Live. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
^ "Día de la Milanesa: los secretos detrás del imprescindible plato de la cocina porteña" [Milanesa Day: the secrets behind the essential dish of Buenos Aires cuisine] (in Spanish). Infobae. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
^ "Día de la milanesa: cómo se creó uno de los platos favoritos de los argentinos" [Milanesa Day: how one of the favorite dishes of Argentines was created]. Clarín (in Spanish). 3 May 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
^ Vaughn, Kevin (11 October 2022). "Argentinian Cooks Make Italian Pasta Their Own". Eater. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
^ "Milanesa a caballo". TasteAtlas. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
^ "Milanesa 'on horseback' with french fries". Bodega Argento. Archived from the original on 13 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
^ Catena, Laura (18 November 2011). Vino Argentino: An Insider's Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina. Chronicle Books. p. 181. ISBN 978-1-4521-0038-8.