Risotto is now one of Italy’s most appreciated dishes, but it is actually a quite recent culinary treat. Widely used in the East for millennia, rice was imported by the ancient Romans who used it as a medicine by drinking the cooking broth and throwing away the solid part; at the most, it was considered a bizarre food for the wealthy. Until the 1400s, rice was mainly sold in apothecaries, as a medicine and exotic plant.
Risotto, the most popular way to cook rice in Italy, originated in northern Italy, in particular in the regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont; from there, it spread in numerous versions throughout the country. In fact, there are different types of risotto, and almost none yet with a precise recipe or with just one type of rice recognized as the most suitable; Arborio, Carnaroli and Roma usually will all do. The other ingredients vary according to the recipe to be prepared.
