Cotoletta (Italian:[kotoˈletta]) is an Italian form of breaded cutlet made from veal. The dish originated in France as the côtelette de veau frite (lit.'fried veal cutlet'), and was created by the chef Joseph Menon in 1735.[1]Côtelette means 'little rib' in French, referring to the rib that remains attached to the meat during and after cooking.[2]
The French brought the dish to Italy and Austria during the Napoleonic Wars. The dish became popular in Italy and took the name of côtelette révolution française and then cotoletta.[3][4]
Cotoletta alla milanese (after its place of origin, Milan) is a fried veal breaded cutlet similar to Wiener schnitzel, but cooked with the bone in. It is traditionally fried in clarified butter. Due to its shape, it is often called oreggia d'elefant in Milanese or orecchia d'elefante in Italian, meaning 'elephant's ear'.[5]
Cotoletta alla palermitana (after its place of origin, Palermo) is similar to a milanese, but the veal is brushed with olive oil, and then baked or grilled instead of being fried. The breadcrumb is often mixed with parsley and pecorino cheese and, unlike the milanese cutlet, the palermitana cutlet does not have eggs in its breading.[7]
Various breaded meat dishes prepared in Argentina and Peru were inspired by the cotoletta alla milanese and are known as milanesa. In Argentina, Peru, and Uruguay, milanesa a la napolitana is made similar to the cotoletta with a preparation of cheese and tomato.[8]
Originally, the dish was made by the poorest immigrants as an economic meal, using the cheapest meat cuts, tenderized by marinating in vinegar and hammering them, ending up with a large, thin steak.
Now it's normal to use sirloin tip or cap of round roast.
It's also very common to eat chicken breast cutlets prepared in the same way, called Suprema.
