Italian Risotto Rice
Carnaroli and vialone nano rice, both selected by us, come from the Verona area - a very old-established area for rice cultivation where the paddy fields are watered by alpine springs. Pesticides are not used. Carp and other species of fish thrive in the clean waters for a brief season.
Carnaroli and vialone nano are regarded as the best among the many Italian varieties (e.g. Arborio, Baldo) used for risotto. The starch content of the rice governs the sauce/stock absorbency and so the creaminess of the risotto. Carnaroli is the lowest yielding and most difficult to cultivate. Vialone Nano is favoured locally for the popular meat risotto called Risotto all'Isolana. All Italian rice varieties are classified by reference to the grain size and shape into three grades - Super-Fino (long grain shape like our Carnaroli, Fino and Semi- Fino (shorter more rounded grains like the Vialone Nano). This has nothing to do with the quality and more to do with the texture of the rice.
Carnaroli has a more definite cereal flavour and almost doubles in size during cooking whilst retaining an al dente quality. Vialone Nano, on the other hand, has a subtler, herb flavour. Its grains remain separate in cooking, making it suitable for risottos where a more definite rice texture is preferred. Both carnaroli and vialone nano, as well as being the best rice for risotto, are very versatile in the kitchen and are good in soups, cold in any salad or steamed for typical oriental dishes (Indian or Chinese).
Riso Nero Venere is a very interesting long grain black rice and is a new variety recently introduced in northern Italy. Delicate, with an oriental type of aroma.
