Milanesa: Popular, Versatile and Definitively Argentinian

Baked or fried, a caballo or a la napolitana; with mashed potatoes, salads, eaten like a sandwich, with tomato in the middle; even with noodles, or served in its most noble form—on its own—the milanesa holds the title of one of Argentina’s most treasured dishes, fondly regarded by adults and children alike. In recent years it has been consumed on average three times a week per person.

No matter which cut of meat is used—rump, round steak, or eye of round—the obligatory recipe for happiness generally involves coating the meat in eggs and breadcrumbs, and then deep-frying it in hot oil. That said, everyone has their own family traditions to which they are bound by a deep-seated affection.

There are those who coat the meat in flour before adding breadcrumbs, while some give it a double coating of breadcrumbs, and others add their own touch by mixing cheese or Provencal sauce with the eggs.

Family disagreements aside, you won’t find a more Argentinian confection than milanesa napolitana. Given its name, this may seem to be a contradiction in terms; an oxymoron bound to confuse any passing Italian.

Legend has it, however, that it was José Nápoli, owner of a restaurant in downtown Buenos Aires, who decided to use ham, cheese, and tomato sauce to disguise the fact that he had burnt some milanesas. Thus, Napoli-style milanesas were born, giving the world milanesas napolitanas.

Although the recipe varies depending on the cook, the essential ingredients are lettuce, tomato, ham, cheese, and onion, as well as a specific kind of bread roll, known as a sanguchero.