Cotoletta
Encyclopedia
Cotoletta is an Italian
word for a breaded
veal
cutlet
.
Cotoletta alla milanese (milanese after its place of origin, Milan
) is a fried cutlet similar to Wiener schnitzel
, but cooked "bone-in". It is fried
in clarified butter
and traditionally uses exclusively milk-fed veal.
Cotoletta a orecchio di elefante ("elephant ear cutlet") is another type of milanese, which uses a thinner but larger cut of meat, and is deboned and tenderized prior to frying, similarly to the American preparation of breaded pork tenderloin
. This is the most common cotoletta eaten in Italy in every day life because it is easy and fast to prepare. However, it is not popular with Milanese chefs, because the thin meat produces a strong taste of "fry". In the typical osteria
in Milan the first version is much more common.
Cotoletta alla palermitana (palermitana because it takes origin from Palermo
, Sicily
) is similar to a milanese but the veal is brushed with lard
or olive oil
instead of butter, and then grill
ed instead of being deep fried. The breadcrumb is very often mixed with oregano and/or Parmesan cheese, and it can be put on the grill upon a leaf of lemon
that gives it a particular Sicilian scent. This cutlet is the only one among its "sisters" (tonkatsu
, schnitzel, milanese, American style breaded meat, etc.) that does not have eggs in its breading.
Various breaded meat dishes prepared in Latin America
were inspired by the cotoletta and are known as milanesa
.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
word for a breaded
Breading
Breading is a dry grain-derived food coating for a piece of food such as meat, vegetable, poultry, fish, shellfish, crustacean, seitan, or textured soy, made from breadcrumbs or a breading mixture with seasonings. Breading can also refer to the process of applying a bread-like coating to a food...
veal
Veal
Veal is the meat of young cattle , as opposed to meat from older cattle. Though veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds...
cutlet
Cutlet
Cutlet refers to:# a thin slice of meat from the leg or ribs of veal, pork, or mutton # a fried cutlet# a croquette made of minced meat...
.
Cotoletta alla milanese (milanese after its place of origin, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
) is a fried cutlet similar to Wiener schnitzel
Wiener schnitzel
Schnitzel is a traditional Austrian dish made with boneless meat thinned with a mallet , coated in bread crumbs and fried. It is a popular part of Viennese, Austrian cuisine and German Cuisine...
, but cooked "bone-in". It is fried
Frying
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, e.g...
in clarified butter
Clarified butter
Clarified butter is milk fat rendered from butter to separate the milk solids and water from the butterfat. Typically, it is produced by melting butter and allowing the different components to separate by density...
and traditionally uses exclusively milk-fed veal.
Cotoletta a orecchio di elefante ("elephant ear cutlet") is another type of milanese, which uses a thinner but larger cut of meat, and is deboned and tenderized prior to frying, similarly to the American preparation of breaded pork tenderloin
Pork tenderloin
The pork tenderloin is a cut of pork. It is often sold as prepackaged products by large grocery stores. They are available plain and flavored with a marinade....
. This is the most common cotoletta eaten in Italy in every day life because it is easy and fast to prepare. However, it is not popular with Milanese chefs, because the thin meat produces a strong taste of "fry". In the typical osteria
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
in Milan the first version is much more common.
Cotoletta alla palermitana (palermitana because it takes origin from Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
) is similar to a milanese but the veal is brushed with lard
Lard
Lard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated-fat content and its often negative...
or olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
instead of butter, and then grill
Grilling
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below.Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat quickly and meat that has already been cut into slices...
ed instead of being deep fried. The breadcrumb is very often mixed with oregano and/or Parmesan cheese, and it can be put on the grill upon a leaf of lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
that gives it a particular Sicilian scent. This cutlet is the only one among its "sisters" (tonkatsu
Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu , invented in the late 19th century, is a popular dish in Japan. It consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet one to two centimeters thick and sliced into bite-sized pieces, generally served with shredded cabbage and/or miso soup...
, schnitzel, milanese, American style breaded meat, etc.) that does not have eggs in its breading.
Various breaded meat dishes prepared in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
were inspired by the cotoletta and are known as milanesa
Milanesa
The milanesa is a common meat dish mostly in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, as well as in other American countries to a lesser extent, where breaded meat fillet preparations are known as a milanesa The milanesa is a common meat...
.