10 Foods Invented in Milan, Italy
Milan isn’t just the fashion capital of Italy, it’s the birthplace of some of the world’s most iconic Italian foods. In this episode of Dish Decoded, we investigate 10 dishes that were invented in Milan, from the accidental creation of saffron risotto in 1574 to the global aperitivo culture that started in Milanese bars in the 1860s. You’ll never look at Italian food the same way again.
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3 Comments
Note that these dishes are often quite different than the southern Italian food that became the basis for American-Italian cuisine. Northern Italian cuisine have a lot more in common with the cuisines of southern Germany and Austria, especially since parts of northern Italy were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
You forgot the cassoeula: cheap pork chops or goose meat, steamed with milan or savoy cabbage. A winter dish not for a frail palate. Cossoeula means "pot" in lombard.
10:13 The "happy hour buffet" concept actually originated in Florence in the early 1990s due to the presence of thousands of American students.
At the time, happy hour (two drinks for the price of one) was a completely unknown concept throughout Italy.
To give it an Italian twist, the Florentines combined the American happy hour with small buffet appetizers (pizzas, bruschetta, etc.), thus creating the "happy hour buffet."
The concept was embraced after a few years by the Milanese, who, as is well known, are intelligent and business-minded.
But in reality, this concept originated in Florence, not Milan.
I know this well because I experienced that period firsthand.