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DIC.GEN 2015
VII
spread one side of the ‘last slice with
pâté artichoke. With this operation is
obtained by a superposition of slices, cut
in half, go on to form the classic triangle
of the sandwich.
AT PAGE 20
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BY PIETRO CINTIi
Not only pasta: Italy has a solid tradition
in growing and preparing rice, corn is
the main ingredient of dishes with a
strong regional connotation, from north
to south, a little ‘around the beautiful
country. Yet the axiom spaghetti/Italy
did overshadow the rice, now more
associated with the culinary traditions of
Asian than to those of Italy.
Penalized by a firing average longer,
more delicate, which needs more
attention, rice, especially in its “risotto”,
suffers the brunt than the pasta far more
than you can imagine.
In many places it is difficult to find the
risotto on the menu, others apply the
“limitations” (dinner only; minimum
2 persons) who would never dream
of applying to pasta, in this most
comfortable and versatile, at least for
professional use.
LEADER IN EUROPE. Yet rice has on
his shoulders a deeply rooted tradition,
focusing on the many varieties: the first
traces of rice cultivation in Italy dates
back to 1400, but in Roman times the
cereal produced in Asia was already
known and appreciated at our latitude.
Today, centuries later, Italy is the first
country producer EU and about 40% of
the rice exports in Europe are made in
Italy, confirming the vocation rice of the
Po Valley. Obviously with these premises
rice abound in traditional recipes of
Italian regional cuisine, able to produce
dishes samples of balance, taste and
charm with the raw materials from time
to time available in an area.
FROM THE ALPS TO SICILY. From
the kitchen to the Aosta Valley Sicilian
through real lintels of Italy at the table
as the Milanese risotto, rice and peas
Veneto, the rice balls Romans, the tielle
Puglia, arancini, rice is the protagonist
of a phenomenon of rediscovery passes
through the revival of traditional recipes,
maybe finished a bit ‘in oblivion, today
again in vogue in these times of “back
to roots”.
Rice is in the savory, the finger
food including pancakes and pies,
in vegetarian recipes like stuffed
vegetables, and desserts like rice cake,
ice cream, is the ingredient of elaborate
preparations as timbales, sartù or
“bombs”, true masterpieces of culinary
complexity. With ingredients of land
or sea, from the humble to the high,
the rice shows its versatility, without
mentioning all the preparations of fusion
cuisine that wink to the recipes of the
world kitchen or the worldwide spread
of sushi and related that gave new
prominence to this food, although in a
new outfit, but also in the West that is
influencing the way of understanding
the rice itself.
“Every region - says Giuseppe Cavozza,
director of foodservice sales channel
Riso Gallo - has its own traditions
and rice is in every regional recipe
from north to south. The rice can be
prepared from starter to dessert, and
this versatility is put to light every day
from all television programs dedicated
to the kitchen, or on the many websites
dedicated.”
RISOTTO REAL MADE IN ITALY. “My
home region is Puglia -declares Michele
D’Agostino President Union Chefs
Puglia Region and National Coordinator
University of Italian Cuisine FIC- and
I can guarantee that rice consumption
has always been important to us. One
of the most well-known regional dishes