Vitello Tonnato is a summer dish from the northern Italian region of Piedmont, but I dare you to find a wine bar in Rome that doesn’t also serve it in the sum mer. Some pizza-by-the-slice joints like Pizzarium have even gotten in on the action, serving the dish as a topping or filling for pizza sandwiches. Though the literal translation of the dish is “tuna’d veal,” an alternative theory suggests that the name derives from the French word tanné, meaning “tanned.” In this context, tonné or tonnato would refer to a preservation method, an interpretation that aligns with historical recipes where veal was treated to resemble preserved tuna, rather than being served with actual tuna. Either way, these days, the sauce that gets spooned over the thin veal slices features oil-packed tuna mixed with hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, capers, and lemon juice. My version excludes mayonnaise, a late twentieth-century addition to the historic recipe.