Top 10 culinary specialities in Milan

Italy, a country steeped in history, is an absolute marvel. But what about its exceptional gastronomy? The boot is reputed to have the best cuisine in the world, ahead of China and France. It’s easy to see why so many people enjoy Italian culinary specialities. Italian cuisine is mainly made up of simple foods such as wheat, but the way each dish is used leaves no one indifferent. Italy has a huge number of specialities, sweet, savoury and alcoholic, enough to delight the palates of even the most demanding gourmets. Ideal for an aperitif with its cold meats, cheese and wines, ideal for a starter with its colourful salads, ideal for a main course with its sumptuous pizzas, ideal for a dessert with its tiramisu, ideal for digesting a hearty meal with a good Italian coffee, Italian cuisine knows how to do it all!

1- Risotto alla Milanese

In the Lombardy region where Milan is located, rice is an essential part of traditional cuisine. The city of Milan is located in the Po Valley. The Lombardy region is home to a large number of rice fields, which is why rice is such an integral part of Milanese cuisine. In risotto alla Milanese, the rice is given a yellow colour by the addition of saffron, a spice that is not easy to produce and is therefore relatively expensive. Risotto alla Milanese is made with pearled rice in butter, beef marrow and white wine. The whole thing is flavoured in a saffron broth. This dish is usually eaten on its own, but can be accompanied by another traditional dish, ossobuco.

2- Ossobuco

Nothing goes better with a delicious risotto alla Milanese than ossobuco. This dish is made from meat, particularly bone marrow, and the tender, flavoursome meat that surrounds it. To give the meat a more pronounced flavour, Italian cooks brown the veal shanks in a pan. The meat is then braised in a stock of meat, white wine, celery, onions and carrots. To enhance this meal, opt for a local red wine such as valtellina.

3- Cassoeula

Cassoula is one of Milan’s best-known comfort dishes. This dish heralds the arrival of winter. This stew is made from pigs’ snouts, ears and feet, cabbage, carrots and onions. It is renowned for its very strong flavour. In the past, this dish was served to farmers and craftsmen with physical jobs. It ensured that they were well fed and could continue to work in good conditions. Nowadays, it is served as a winter dish, although some restaurants offer it à la carte regardless of the season. This dish is best served with a glass of red wine. If you’re visiting Milan this cold season, make sure you enjoy this hearty dish before visiting the capital of Lombardy and its sublime Duomo cathedral.

4- Mondeghili

This Milanese speciality is one of the locals’ favourite dishes. You can’t leave Milan without tasting its famous meatballs fried in butter. In the past, this dish was prepared using leftover beef, salami and sausages to avoid wastage. However, the popularity of this dish has meant that the recipe has been reinvented to give an extra flavour and add a little prestige to this much-loved dish. Now better quality meat is used, such as veal, Bologna IGP mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, vegetables and nutmeg.

5- Gorgonzola cheese

How can you not include a cheese in this list of specialities? That would be a serious professional error, especially as gorgonzola is considered to be the second best cheese in the world, just behind its compatriot, parmesan. But no… No French cheese on the podium. This creamy blue cheese is used for a variety of purposes. You can find it in the form of gorgonzola risotto, with polenta, on several pizzas and a few varieties of pasta. It comes in two forms: ‘dolce’, a more or less transparent word, but one that everyone understands, it’s meant to be mild; and ‘piccante’, again, not much of a surprise, it’s meant to be stronger in flavour.

6- Polenta

Polenta is one of the oldest dishes in the world. Although its ancestral recipe is a little different from the one we know today, the principle remains the same. Polenta takes the form of a porridge or patty made from either semolina or maize flour. Every family, every household, every restaurant adds its own special touch to each polenta. Some add cheese, others salt and pepper, and even mushrooms.

7- Cotoletta alla Milanese

Renowned the world over and better known in France as escalope à la milanaise, this dish is a timeless speciality from Lombardy. The veal used is mainly chops or breaded escalope. The meat is cooked in butter before being coated abundantly in breadcrumbs, but is not boned, contrary to what you might think. As a side dish, a salad is just the thing.

8- Panettone

This cake is an emblematic dessert that is a delight on Christmas tables in the Lombardy region. It comes in the form of a rather light brioche, filled with dried fruit, in particular currants, citrus zest such as lemon, candied orange, walnuts and citron. This dessert is very popular with sparkling wines such as the famous Prosecco or Lambrusco.

9- La barbajada

This is one of Milan’s most comforting drinks. It couldn’t be simpler. Simply combine equal parts milk, coffee and chocolate, served with whipped cream. Depending on the season, barbajada can be enjoyed hot or cold.

10- Cannoncini

Let’s finish off with one of the sweets that everyone loves: cannoncini. This dessert is similar to cannolis, which come straight from Sicily. Only the size clearly differentiates the two. The puff pastry is cylindrical in shape and can be filled with a variety of fillings. With pistachio cream, lemon cream or simply chocolate, cannoncini are a real pleasure to eat!