As many as 120 types of rice are produced in Italy, diversified by grain size, shape, content, and paired recipes. The production of the Belpaese, aptly called the “rice field of Europe,” actually concerns, for 80%, about a dozen varieties, of which Arborio and the recipe- and chef-awarded Carnaroli are very famous and loved by Italians.
We divide those peculiar types of rice of the peninsula in the classification: “original”, “semi-fine” (Rosa Marchetti, Padano, Vialone Nano), “fine” (Ribe, Sant’Andrea), “super-fine” (Carnaroli, Roma, Arborio, Baldo). Some types of species are marketed without undergoing refining and bleaching, obtaining the “whole grain” (but also the “Venere,” black in color, marketed as semi-whole grain).
The regions involved in production are: Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, and the entire Po Valley area, rich in moist and soft soils. From here derive many popular regional recipes (pumpkin risotto, saffron risotto, red radicchio risotto from Treviso, and others). Super-fine varieties match risottos; for cold salads, gelatinized types (parboiled) are chosen, and for traditional different types of soups, whole grain productions are preferred.
