Milanesa

A milanesa is a thin cut of beef or veal, coated in egg and breadcrumbs and fried until the crust turns golden and crisp. Italian immigrants brought the technique behind Milan's cotoletta to Argentina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and what took root there grew into something distinctly Argentine — thinner, more heavily breaded, and eaten more often than almost anything else on the table.

What it really is

A cut of beef, or sometimes veal or chicken, is pounded thin, dipped in beaten egg, then pressed into fine breadcrumbs until it's fully coated. It fries in hot oil until both sides turn deep golden and the crust sets crisp, while the meat inside stays tender rather than drying out — the thinness of the cut is what makes that possible in the short time it takes to fry. A squeeze of lemon at the table is the only common addition; the breading and the meat are meant to carry the dish on their own.

It's a genuinely everyday dish, not a special-occasion one. Where cotoletta alla milanese in Italy might appear as a considered restaurant order, milanesa in Argentina is closer to a household staple served for weeknight dinners, in sandwiches, and cold the next day — the frequency it's eaten at is part of what defines it.

How it's served

• Plain on a plate, with a wedge of lemon and a side of mashed potato or salad.
• As "milanesa napolitana," topped with tomato sauce, ham and melted cheese and finished under the grill.
• In a sandwich, cold or reheated, as a common lunch on its own.

How to write it on the menu

• Say what the meat is — beef, veal and chicken versions are all common and taste noticeably different.
• Flag the wheat in the breadcrumbs and the egg in the coating.
• Note if it's served napolitana style, since the toppings add dairy that a plain milanesa doesn't carry.