Créé par Emilie, le 7 mai 2026
Votre guide Ryo
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1- Risotto alla Milanese
In the Lombardy region where Milan is located, rice is an essential element of traditional cuisine. The city of Milan is situated in the Po Valley. This part of Italy is called the "rice bowl of Italy". The Lombard region includes a significant number of rice fields, which is why rice is an integral part of Milanese gastronomy. As for risotto alla Milanese, the rice is yellow in color due to the addition of saffron, a spice that is not easy to produce and therefore relatively expensive. Risotto alla Milanese is composed of rice sautéed in butter, beef marrow and white wine. Everything is flavored in a saffron broth. This dish is generally consumed alone, but it can be accompanied by another traditional dish, ossobuco.
2- Ossobuco
To accompany a delicious risotto alla Milanese, nothing beats ossobuco. This dish composed of meat and more particularly bone marrow and its tender and flavorful meat that surrounds it. To give a more pronounced taste to the meat, Italian cooks sear the veal shanks in a pan. The meat is then braised in a broth of meat, white wine, celery, onions and carrots. To enhance this meal, opt for a local red wine like valtellina.
3- Cassoeula
Cassoula, one of the most comforting and well-known dishes of Milan. This dish announces the arrival of winter. This stew is composed of snout, ears, pig's feet, cabbage, carrots and onions. It is renowned for its very pronounced taste. This dish was once served to peasants and craftsmen practicing a physical trade. This dish allowed them to be well satisfied and to continue working in good conditions. Nowadays, it serves as a winter dish, even though some restaurants offer it on the menu regardless of the season. This dish is very appreciated with a glass of red wine. If you visit Milan during this cold period, enjoy this hearty dish before going to visit the capital of Lombardy and its sublime Duomo cathedral.
4- Mondeghili
This Milanese specialty is one of the locals' favorite dishes. You have no right to leave Milan without having tasted its famous meatballs fried in butter. This dish was once prepared with leftover beef, salami and sausages to avoid waste. However, the popularity of this dish means that the recipe has been reinvented to give additional flavor and add some prestige to this highly appreciated dish. Now, better quality meat is used such as veal, Bologna IGP mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano AOP, vegetables and nutmeg.
5- Gorgonzola
How can we not include a cheese in this ranking of specialties? It would be a serious professional fault, especially since gorgonzola is considered the second best cheese in the world just behind its compatriot, parmesan. Oh no... No French cheese on this podium. This creamy blue cheese is used for different purposes. You can find it in the form of gorgonzola risotto, with polenta, on several pizzas and some varieties of pasta. It exists in two forms: the "dolce", a more or less transparent word, but which everyone understands, it wants to be mild; and the "piccante", again, little surprise, it wants to be more pronounced in taste.
6- Polenta
Polenta is one of the oldest dishes in the world. Although its ancestral recipe is slightly different from the one we know today, the principle remains the same. Polenta comes in the form of a porridge or pancake composed of either semolina or corn flour. Each family, each household, each restaurant adds its little touch giving a particularity to each polenta. Some add cheese, others salt and pepper and even mushrooms.
7- Cotoletta alla Milanese
Renowned worldwide and better known in France as escalope à la milanaise, this dish is a timeless specialty of Lombardy. The part of veal used is mainly chops or breaded escalope. The meat is cooked in butter before being abundantly coated with breadcrumbs. The meat itself is not deboned, contrary to what one might think. As an accompaniment, a salad is quite sufficient.
8- Panettone
This cake is an emblematic dessert that graces Christmas tables in the Lombard region. It comes in the form of a brioche, rather light, garnished with dried fruits and notably Corinthian raisins, citrus zests like lemon, candied orange, walnuts and citron. This dessert is very appreciated with sparkling wine like the famous Prosecco or Lambrusco.
9- Barbajada
Here is one of Milan's most comforting drinks. To do this, nothing could be simpler. Simply combine equal parts milk, coffee, and chocolate, all served with whipped cream. Depending on the season, barbajada can be enjoyed cold or hot.
10- Cannoncini
Let's finish with one of the sweets that makes everyone fall in love: cannoncini. This dessert is similar to cannolis, which comes straight from Sicily. Only the size clearly differentiates the two. Cylindrical in shape, the puff pastry can be stuffed with different fillings. With pistachio cream, lemon cream or simply chocolate, cannoncini are a true taste pleasure!
