Italy is Europe’s largest rice producer, and Piedmont is the continent’s largest growing region with 1.6 million tons per year, accounting for 52% of the Italian total production (source: Agrifood).

In the plains of Vercelli, Novara, and Alessandria, fine and traditional varieties are grown, namely Carnaroli, Sant’Andrea, Arborio, Baldo, Balilla, Vialone Nano and Roma and, more recently, black Venere rice. “Since 2007, Piedmont has been able to boast Italy’s only Pdo rice: Riso di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese,” says the Piedmont Foreign Internationalization Center (Centro Estero Internazionalizzazione Piemonte).