vitello

Italians insist that veal is more tender and tastier than beef, and few beef cattle get to celebrate their second birthday. Legally, one slaughtered under the age of twelve months can be called vitello. 12-18 months old it is vitellone, and after that it's manzo, or beef. Fellini fans will know the name from his classic autobiographical film about five 'good for nothings', I Vitelloni (see trailer below).

Veal in restaurants usually takes the form of a thin, lean cutlet (scaloppa or scaloppine, or a cotoletta milanese fried in breadcrumbs).

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