Top 5 Things To Eat & Drink in Milan
The Italian Cuisine is famous all across the globe for its fresh ingredients and unique dishes. Tastes may differ from North to South but Italian food is amazing wherever in the country you try it. When in Milan, keep in mind that traditional dishes are generally meat or rice based. Let’s have a look at 5 of the top things you must eat and drink in Milan.
Risotto alla Milanese
Milan is Europe’s largest rice producer. So, it comes as no surprise that rice is the main ingredient of Milan’s most iconic dish: the risotto alla Milanese. The latter consists of rice cooked to perfection in bone marrow broth and flavoured with saffron and cheese.
Ossobuco
Ossobuco translates to bone with a hole. This typical dish of Milan comprises veal braised in a mixture of vegetables and cooked until it melts in the mouth. It’s usually served alongside risotto alla Milanese or polenta, yet another of Northern Italy’s staples.
Minestrone Milanese
Minestrone is a vegetable soup that is cooked throughout Italy. However, Milan’s variation contains rice instead of pasta. Minestrone Milanese is served hot in the winter and at room temperature in the summer.
Negroni Sbagliato
The Negroni is one of Italy’s most popular cocktails. Its main ingredients are gin, Campari and vermouth. However, back in 1972 a bartender in Milan accidentally added prosecco, Italy’s signature sparkling wine, instead of gin. That’s how a brand new cocktail came into life, the Negroni Sbagliato (sbagliato is the Italian word for mistaken).
Barbajada
Remarkably popular during the 19th century, this quintessentially Milanese drink has lost some of its former glory in our times. However, if you stumble upon a glass of barbajada, try it without second thought. With equal parts of drinking chocolate, coffee and milk, the barbajada is served hot in winter and cold in the summer but it’s delicious either way.
You can find all of these typical Milan dishes and drinks in restaurants and bars across the city. That said, nothing beats tasting homemade dishes made by locals themselves with the help of no other than you. For a unique experience that you won’t forget, we recommend a half-day activity that includes going shopping at a local market, attending a private show cooking and eating in the company of locals.