Vitello tonnato is paper-thin cold poached veal blanketed in a creamy tuna-and-caper emulsion; in Italy we have verified places to eat it in Milan and Turin.
Vitello tonnato · Milan
Vitello tonnato is paper-thin cold poached veal blanketed in a creamy tuna-and-caper emulsion. A Piedmontese cold antipasto adopted by Milan and reset by its 21st-century trattorias.
Vitello tonnato originated in 19th-century Piedmont, but Milan adopted it as an antipasto classic in the early 20th century and the city's modern trattorias gave it editorial sharpness. The 18th-century Pellegrino Artusi recipe used an anchovy-and-tuna mayonnaise; the modern Milanese version uses a thicker tuna-and-caper sauce poured over slices of cold poached veal. Trippa (Pietro Caroli, opened 2015 in Porta Romana) plates a famous version cited by Gambero Rosso and Identita Golose; Antica Trattoria della Pesa runs a heritage take; Boeucc (Milan's oldest restaurant, founded 1696) keeps the classical form on its antipasto carte.
Where to eat in Milan:
- Trippa
- Antica Trattoria della Pesa
- Boeucc
- Trattoria Masuelli San Marco
Where to eat Vitello tonnato in Milan: the editor picks
Vitello Tonnato · Turin
Vitello tonnato is sliced cold poached veal under a creamy tuna, caper and anchovy sauce. A Piedmontese summer classic from the late 18th century.
The name tonnato comes from the French tannè (tanned), referencing leftover veal slow-cooked for tenderness. The original 18th-century sauce had no tuna, only anchovy, capers and egg yolks. Pellegrino Artusi added tuna in his 1891 cookbook, which standardised the modern version. Today the dish is canonical Piedmont, in summer with a glass of cool Roero Arneis or Gavi.
Where to eat in Turin:
- Le Vitel Etonne
- Tre Galline
- Consorzio
- Trattoria Valenza
Where to eat Vitello Tonnato in Turin: the editor picks