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.

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.

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