Milan foods range from savory recipes like ossobuco and cotoletta alla Milanese to traditional Italian favorites with a Milanese twist, including risotto, polenta and busecca. The capital of the Lombardy region in Northern Italy, Milan is well known for fashion, arts, design and culture. It’s also one of the best foodie cities for travelers to embark on culinary adventures.

Whether you’re planning a trip to Milan, hosting a Milanese-inspired dinner party or just want to try a new type of cuisine, our collection of Milan food is bound to add a helpful amount of wanderlust to your menu or travel itinerary.

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• Get a Taste of Traditional Milan Food
• The 12 Most Traditional Milan Dishes

Get a Taste of Traditional Milan Food

Are you planning a trip to Milan? Do you want to enhance your adventures with tips and advice from a local perspective? Food tours in Milan can help you find the best traditional and modern dishes, as well as popular and hidden gem restaurants, bars and cafés. Experienced local guides lead these fun and engaging tours. 

The 12 Most Traditional Milan Dishes

1. Minestrone alla Milanese

In most of Italy, pasta is king. In Milan, however, pasta is swapped for rice in the colorful and vegetable-centric minestrone. Minestrone alla Milanese is a Milan food cooked in a broth and combined with cabbage, spinach, celery and any number of other fresh vegetables to create one of the most traditional Milan dishes. This delicious stew-like soup is served piping hot in winter and cold in summer.

2. Risotto alla Milanese

This rice dish is popular all over Italy and around the world. Italy is Europe’s largest producer of rice, with most of it grown in Milan’s Po Valley (a.k.a. the rice bowl of Italy). So just how did this staple go from the humble rice fields to the golden yellow hue of today? As the story goes, an apprentice working on stained glass at the Duomo in the 16th century decided to add saffron to white rice. Saffron was used as a dye to create color on the glass.

While aesthetically appealing in its golden glory, the saffron doesn’t really add flavor to Milan food. Parmesan cheese and butter give it that delicious, delicate and creamy texture. Simple to prepare, white rice is covered with white wine and toasted. It’s then cooked in beef stock until al dente. Saffron is added at the end of the cooking process. This Milan food is a traditional side dish that can accompany any entrée.

3. Ossobuco

Ossobuco, a Milan food that means “bone with a hole” (which is what "ossbus," or "ossobuco," translates to), is a hearty Milan food that helps to make it one of the best foodie cities in the world. Specifically, ossobuco is a slice of the shin bone. It’s cut where the bone is surrounded by tender meat and cooked by braising in onions, white wine, celery and carrots.

To cook, cover this Milan food with flour and then fry. It’s often garnished with a paste called gremolata, which is made from parsley, garlic and lemon peels. Add to the top before serving to give a splash of color and complementary flavors. Ossobuco is served with other Milan foods such as polenta and risotto alla Milanese.

4. Polenta

While it can be made from other grains, polenta is a Milan food that’s traditionally made from boiled cornmeal. This traditional Milan food originated in Northern and Central Italy. Polenta is similar to the American South's grits but differs in that grits are made from white corn and polenta is made from yellow corn. Butter and cheese can be added at the end of the cooking process to achieve that creamy consistency. Polenta has a mild flavor and is usually served as a side dish. It can also be eaten for breakfast as a porridge with toppings like nuts, honey or maple syrup.

5. Gorgonzola

A popular topping for pizza, pasta and salads, Gorgonzola is one of the most popular traditional Milan dishes. It’s also the name of the small town in Milan where it originated. Made from unskimmed cow’s milk, it has a varied texture profile that can be firm, crumbly, soft or creamy. While it has the distinctive bluish-green veins of traditional blue cheese, gorgonzola shouldn’t be confused with blue cheese. Gorgonzola is a specific variety of cheese within the blue cheese category of cheeses.

There are two distinct versions of gorgonzola. The dolce form is sweet and creamy while the picante version is more on the spicy and pungent side of the cheese flavor wheel. Serve this slightly salty and varied cheese on sandwiches, in sauces and on cheese boards.

6. Panettone

Some say the traditional Christmas fruitcake is linked to panettone. This Milan food is close enough to a dessert to qualify as such. Popular during the holidays, panettone is a sweet and almost cake-like bread made with a simple dough mixture of butter, eggs, yeast and flour. Like a fruitcake, it can have raisins and candied fruits baked inside. Pair with a glass of prosecco, rich Italian coffee, hot chocolate or eggnog and a creamy custard pudding. 

The dome-shaped panettone is approximately 11.5 inches tall. It became popular in the 15th century. It was a custom to eat leftover panettone on February 3rd for Saint Blaise’s Feast. Saint Blaise was a young man who saved someone from choking, thus becoming the protector of throats. There’s a law that says all panettone in Milan must be made with natural yeast.

7. Piadina

Piadina is a thin and crispy Italian flatbread made with flour, water and olive oil. The recipe doesn’t include yeast, which provides the flatbread profile. It’s folded and filled with meat, cheese and vegetable selections such as spinach, mozzarella, prosciutto and other cured meats. Some restaurants even use jam and Nutella as fillings for a sweet piadina. This Milan food is popular at lunch as it’s easy to eat on the go. Think of it like an Italian tortilla (but a bit thicker and sturdier). 

8. Busecca

Also known as trippa alla Milanese, busecca is a hearty and adventurous Milan food to try. Originating among Milan’s rural landscapes, this hearty stew is prepared with tripe, which is the stomach lining of cows and sheep. It’s known as “peasant cuisine” and contains beans, hearty vegetables, tomato purée and broth. The name of this Milan food comes from butze. Interestingly enough, this derives from the German word for guts.   

9. Cassoeula

Cassoeula is a pork and cabbage stew with a strong and hearty taste. Made with sausage and other parts of the pig, this warm and filling recipe is popular during the cold months. The traditional day to eat this Milan food is the feast of Saint Anthony the Abot (the patron saint of livestock breeders) on January 17th. This Milan food is also eaten on All Soul’s Day on November 2nd.  

10. Cotoletta alla Milanese

Also known as veal Milanese, cotoletta alla Milanese is one of the best Milan dishes to try. It’s similar to the German and Austrian wiener schnitzel dish. The Milanese version uses loin meat, and the German/Austrian version uses boneless veal rump meat. This Milan food has been a Milanese specialty since the 12th century when a version was eaten by monks at Sant Ambrogio Basilica. 

This breaded veal cutlet ("cotoletta" means "cutlet" in French), is prepared by frying it in butter. It can be prepared with the bone-in or out and is either pounded to a thin and crispy consistency or cooked thick. Serve this Milan food with risotto or a salad. 

11. Busecchina

Originating in the Lombardy and Piedmont regions of Northern Italy, busecchina is a popular dessert perfectly suited for the chilly days of fall. Simple to prepare, this classic Milan food is made with dried chestnuts. The chestnuts are peeled and soaked overnight. The thin inner layer is removed before cooking in water and sweet wine until soft. When done, pour into a bowl with cream and the cooking liquid. It’s served in small cups and topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Busecchina originated in the Middle Ages when there were plenty of chestnut trees in the region. The name comes from busecca, a meat and vegetable dish. In some places, meat was used instead of chestnuts. Busecchina was traditionally made for Saint Savina festivities on January 31.

12. Mondeghili

Also known as polpette, mondeghili are meatballs made with ground beef (sometimes mixed with salami, sausage or mortadella), eggs, cheese, garlic and other herbs and spices. This concoction is rolled into balls, coated with breadcrumbs and fried in butter until soft and tender. This Milan food is usually served as an appetizer, sometimes in tomato sauce. Historically, it was known as a povera cucina, or “poor kitchen,” as the ingredients used were often left over. 

As you may have noticed, traditional Milan food is heavily focused on the meat side of the food pyramid. Minestrone alla Milanese, polenta and risotto appeal to the vegetarian side of traditional Milan dishes. You won’t encounter as much of the typical pasta and tomato bases usually associated with Italian food, since tomatoes aren’t a common crop in Northern Italy. You will, however, find a hearty variety of unique regional specialties that take culinary cues from nearby Austria and France, and if you're a gourmand in search of new culinary horizons, there's a good chance you'll find them in Milan.

For even more ways to explore Milan and beyond, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.