A slow journey through grains, broths and the traditions of Italy
Many recipes, six techniques, a thousand small gestures handed down from kitchen to kitchen.
From the granaries of the East to the rice fields of the Po, risotto is the story of a grain that finally found a home.
Rice was brought to Italy by Arab merchants and Benedictine monks along the Silk Road routes. In the fifteenth century the first rice fields appeared in the Po Valley, between Milan and Vercelli, where fresh water and clay soils created the perfect conditions for a crop that would change northern Italian cooking forever.
The transformation of rice into risotto — a creamy, mantecato dish, not simply boiled — is uniquely Italian. While elsewhere in the world the grain stays separate and dry, in Lombardy and Piedmont cooks discovered that slow cooking with broth releases the starch, producing a texture found nowhere else.
It is said that in 1574, during work on the stained-glass windows of Milan's Duomo, a young apprentice of the Flemish master glassmaker Valerio used saffron to brighten his colours. As a joke, he added some to the rice served at his master's daughter's wedding banquet. So was born Risotto alla Milanese — liquid gold and a symbol of the city ever since.
In the twentieth century risotto stepped out of bourgeois kitchens and became an identity dish. In 1981 Gualtiero Marchesi dared to top it with a leaf of edible gold, turning it into an icon of the new Italian cuisine. Today it lives in both trattorias and Michelin-starred restaurants — faithful to tradition yet free to reinvent itself: with truffle or miso, with clams or with beetroot.
| Name | Origin | Grain | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnaroli | Italy (Pavia) | Long, firm | High-tenacity risottos, long mantecaturas |
| Arborio | Italy (Vercelli) | Large, round | Traditional creamy risottos |
| Vialone Nano | Italy (Verona) | Small, round | Venetian "all'onda" risottos |
| Baldo | Italy | Long, crystalline | Versatile, timbales |
| Bomba | Spain (Valencia) | Round, short | Paella, absorbent dishes |
| Albufera | Spain | Round, dense | Creamy paella, arroz caldoso |
| Senia | Spain | Medium, round | Traditional paella |
| Basmati | India / Pakistan | Long, fragrant | Pilaf rice, biryani |
| Jasmine | Thailand | Long, aromatic | Southeast Asian cuisine |
| Koshihikari | Japan | Short, pearly | Sushi, onigiri |
Six gestures, six moments, six small truths. Without them risotto doesn't exist — it's just boiled rice.
The dry, naked grain heated in a little fat — or dry — until the edge becomes translucent and the surface starch seals. This is the gesture that protects texture: without it the rice falls apart; with it the grain holds firm to the final bite.
Onion, shallot or leek finely chopped, sweated in fat without colouring. The aromatic base that dialogues with the rice without overpowering it. Some regions skip it (Veneto), others build on it (Lombardy).
Hot, never boiling, never cold. Poured a ladle at a time, you let the rice ask for it rather than drowning it. The dish's flavour starts here, before anything else: a flat broth makes a flat risotto.
Eighteen minutes, give or take, of constant attention. You stir just enough: too little and it sticks, too much and it falls apart. The rice must always cook covered by broth, never dry, never drowned.
Heat off. Cold butter in cubes and grated Parmigiano — both to taste, but never sparingly. Cover, wait a minute, then whip energetically with a spoon. This is where the cream is born.
Tilt the plate slightly: if the risotto flows in a soft wave, it's ready. Neither liquid nor compact. The ultimate test, as old as risotto itself, and it never lies.
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Every variety has its own soul. Knowing the grain is already knowing what risotto will come out of it.
| Variety | Grain | Starch | Cooking hold | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnaroli | Long, firm | High | Excellent | Complex risottos, fine dining |
| Arborio | Large, round | Very high | Good | Traditional creamy risottos |
| Vialone Nano | Small, round | Medium | Outstanding | Venetian "all'onda" risottos |
| Baldo | Long, crystalline | High | Good | Timbales, drier risottos |
| Roma | Round, large | High | Medium | Rustic risottos, soups |
| Originario | Small, round | Low | Low | Soups, rice desserts |
The Valencian rice of paella. Absorbs up to three times its volume in liquid without breaking: ideal for dry, flavour-packed dishes.
The "fragrant kingdom." The grain stretches in cooking and stays separate: irreplaceable in pilaf and biryani.
Sushi's rice. Its stickiness comes from a balance of amylose and amylopectin that makes it perfect for shaping.
Aromatic by nature, it releases floral perfumes. Cooked by absorption — the daily rice of Southeast Asia.
Italian rice farms often sell directly: look for producers around Vercelli, Novara and Pavia. Specialist delis also offer niche varieties you won't find in supermarkets.
Airtight container, cool dry place, away from light and heat sources. Brown rice lasts less (3-6 months); white rice holds for up to 18 months without losing quality.
If you smell mould or rancidity or see pantry moths, throw it all away. Rice is cheap — your health isn't.
No, and this is one of the most persistent myths. Stirring too much breaks the grain and releases excess starch. Just shake the bottom of the pan every minute or so to keep it from sticking. The final mantecatura, on the other hand, should be done energetically.
Never during cooking: trapped steam alters texture. Only during the mantecatura, for one minute off the heat, to let butter and Parmigiano emulsify with the residual warmth.
Not as risotto. But pan-fried as "riso al salto" Milanese it becomes another marvel: crisp outside, soft within. Never microwave: it keeps cooking and turns to glue.
Never. Risotto cooks by absorption, not by boiling. Draining means making seasoned boiled rice — a completely different dish, and not even Italian.
Broth, always. Even a light homemade vegetable broth changes everything. Water is acceptable only in two cases: delicate fish risottos (where broth would overpower) and a domestic emergency.
For dietary reasons yes, with quality extra virgin olive oil or vegetable margarine, but the texture changes: butter emulsifies with starch in a unique way, producing the typical glossy creaminess. Oil gives a drier, more aromatic risotto.
It depends on the risotto. Carnaroli for long cooks and rich mantecaturas, Vialone Nano for Venetian "all'onda" risottos, Arborio for those after extreme creaminess. There's no absolute "best."
Professional technique: cook halfway, spread on a cold sheet pan and refrigerate. At service it's finished with hot broth. At home, frankly, it's better to cook it from scratch.
No, but it helps. Deglazing with a good wine after toasting adds acidity and depth. If you skip it, compensate with a splash of acidulated broth or a tablespoon of quality white vinegar.
In Lombardy yes, in Veneto often not. For fish risottos many chefs swap it for shallot (more delicate) or skip it entirely. For delicate-flavoured recipes (lemon, asparagus), an aggressive onion can ruin everything.
Simmering, around 90°C, never at a full boil. Adding cold broth drops the rice's temperature and stops the cooking, leaving the grain gummy and less creamy.
In the mood for something sweet?
A cookbook of classic Italian desserts, with clear explanations and steps anyone can follow. Perfect to round off a risotto-based lunch.
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