Vitello Tonnato: A Dish That Never Left My Heart

There are recipes you study at school, recipes you prepare for guests, and then there are recipes that stay with you forever. For me, Vitello Tonnato belongs to that last category. I first encountered it more than 25 years ago, as a young student in Stresa, a town on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. At the time, I didn’t realize how much this dish would follow me — across countries, kitchens, and the different stages of my career. Yet every time I prepare it, I feel a connection to that first experience.

A Piedmontese Classic with Deep Roots

Vitello Tonnato is one of those Italian creations that looks simple but hides remarkable elegance. Thin slices of veal, cooked gently, served cold, and topped with a sauce made of tuna, anchovies, and capers. In Piedmont, the region of its origin, it was born as a festive dish. It was often served in the summer months, refreshing yet substantial, a dish that made ordinary ingredients feel noble.

I still remember my teacher saying: “The secret is balance. The sauce should never drown the veal, only embrace it.” At the time, I thought it was just another technical detail. Years later, after cooking for thousands of guests, I understood that balance is the very soul of the dish.

Technique and Patience

Cooking the veal properly is an exercise in patience. It must be simmered slowly with vegetables, herbs, and sometimes a splash of white wine. It should become tender but not overcooked, moist but not falling apart. Once cooled, it is sliced as thin as possible — the thinner, the better.

Then comes the sauce. Tuna preserved in oil, anchovies, capers, a touch of mayonnaise. It sounds straightforward, but the danger is always excess. Too much salt, too much tuna, too heavy a texture. When done with care, the sauce becomes creamy yet delicate, adding flavor without stealing the stage.

Even now, I sometimes stop while blending the sauce, reminded of my early days in the kitchen: the hum of the old slicer, the perfume of veal broth bubbling on the stove, and the quiet focus of a classroom full of young cooks discovering their craft.

The Global Journey of a Piedmontese Dish

What fascinates me most about Vitello Tonnato is how far it has traveled. Italian immigrants brought it to South America, and in Argentina it became Vitel Toné, a beloved Christmas tradition. Families there prepare it in generous portions, serving it alongside festive spreads, with the same pride that Italians feel for lasagna or panettone.

During my own career, I have carried Vitello Tonnato far beyond Piedmont. In Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, I’ve shared it with guests who had never seen such a pairing of veal and tuna. Some were hesitant at first, unsure of how meat and fish could work together. But once they tasted it, they were amazed by how light and balanced it felt.

For me, presenting this dish abroad was like carrying a piece of home in my luggage. Every time I sliced the veal and spread the sauce across the plate, I was bringing a piece of Piedmont to distant places — from Mediterranean resorts to tropical islands.

Why It Still Matters

Trends in gastronomy change constantly. New techniques, new fusions, new superfoods come and go. And yet, Vitello Tonnato stays. Why? Because it embodies the heart of Italian cuisine. It shows that elegance doesn’t come from complexity but from harmony. It proves that you don’t need luxury ingredients to achieve sophistication — only respect for what you’re working with.

This dish is not just a recipe. It is a lesson in restraint and balance. It’s also a reminder that traditions can be kept alive even when reinterpreted with modern touches.

A Personal Reflection

I’ve cooked in many settings: cruise ships traveling across 30 countries, luxury hotels in Europe, beachside resorts in the Maldives. I’ve worked in kitchens where the pace was frantic, and others where the rhythm was slower and more meditative. And yet, no matter where I was, Vitello Tonnato never failed to make an impression.

It is not just nostalgia that makes me love it. It’s the way this dish mirrors my own journey. From a young chef in Stresa, eager to learn, to an Executive Chef leading teams abroad, this recipe has been a companion. It has changed forms, adapted to different contexts, and yet its essence has remained the same.

That’s why Vitello Tonnato will always be more than food for me. It’s tradition, memory, and evolution on a single plate. Every slice is a reminder that the past is never far away when you cook with heart.