Cotoletta alla bolognese is the city's grand-format escalope: a breaded veal cutlet topped with prosciutto crudo and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings, baked under a glaze of meat broth until the cheese melts.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
The Bolognese cotoletta emerged in the 19th-century kitchens of the Emilian bourgeoisie as a richer cousin to the Milanese veal escalope. The Accademia Italiana della Cucina deposited the legal recipe with the Camera di Commercio of Bologna on 14 October 2004: a breaded veal cutlet, topped with prosciutto crudo di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano 24-month, finished in the oven with a glaze of meat broth and butter, never with tomato. The 2004 deposit was a direct response to tourist menus passing off a tomato-and-mozzarella veal milanese as bolognese. Trattoria Anna Maria, Diana, Da Cesari and Trattoria di Via Serra all serve the canonical baked version.
Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Pound the veal thin; a 5mm escalope cooks in the timing the cheese needs to melt. Never add tomato; that is the Milanese version, not bolognese.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Trattoria Anna Maria in Bologna near Via Zamboni is the city's most-photographed sfoglia trattoria, run by Anna Maria Monari since 1985 with hand-rolled tortellini.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortellini in brodo, Lasagne verdi
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, lasagne verdi, gnocco fritto.
Tip: Book a week ahead for dinner. Lunch is calmer and the sfogline still hand-roll pasta in the window between services.
Da Cesari in Bologna's Centro Storico is the four-generation Carati family trattoria, operating since 1955, a steady room for the canonical Bolognese carte.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Cotoletta alla bolognese, Tortellini in brodo
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, cotoletta alla bolognese, friggione on the side.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead by phone; the family carte does not change and the wine cellar is run by Massimiliano Carati personally.
Why locals love it: Bolognina's quiet, neighbourhood-scaled trattoria; the tagliatelle al ragu is the city's most-cited by editors but tourists never wander north of the station.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead online; lunch is the easier seating and the kitchen runs the same carte at both meals.
Al Pappagallo in Bologna on Piazza della Mercanzia is the 1919-founded fine-bistro running the Bolognese banking-class carte; Fellini and Pavarotti both signed the visitor's book.
Order: Tortellini in brodo, lasagne verdi, the cotoletta alla bolognese with prosciutto.
Tip: Book a week ahead; the ground-floor dining room is the one to ask for, with the original 1919 fittings.
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