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Arborio rice is a short-grain type, ideal for making savory risotto and rice pudding. It is grown in Italy and the US, and other varieties used for risotto are Vialone Nano and Carnaroli. Rice has been cultivated for centuries, and there are now many varieties available, including colored rices and brown rice.
Arborio rice is a short-grain type first developed and cultivated in the Italian town of Arborio located in the fertile Po Valley. Its distinctive creamy outer texture and slightly chewy center make Arborio rice a popular choice for making savory risotto. The velvety dessert called rice pudding also benefits from the high starch content and slightly rounded grain of Arborio rice.
Now grown in both Italy and the United States, Arborio rice is often alternately labeled risotto rice to help consumers choose the correct variety. Other varieties of rice commonly used to prepare risotto are Vialone Nano and Carnaroli. Vialone Nano is a dense, squat grain of rice grown in the Veneto region of Italy. It has excellent absorption properties perfect for risotto. Rice farmers in the Lombardy and Piedmont regions of Italy grow Carnaroli rice, a short, plumb grain that has an attractive, firm internal kernel and a creamy cooked texture that also makes it ideal for risotto.
All of these types of rice are readily available in specialty food stores and gourmet markets. Some supermarkets and health stores may also stock them. Many online stores ship domestic and international rice varieties worldwide.
Rice is believed to have fed more humans than any other grain in history. Its cultivation has been traced many years before the first sign of any civilized culture, around 1500 BC. No mention of rice is found in Western Hemisphere history prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century. Its existence in North America was first recorded in 1685.
Over the centuries, rice has been cultivated by numerous cultures. New strains are constantly being developed to improve crop yields and make rice more tolerant of drier growing environments than those commonly found in paddy fields. Cooks and chefs are constantly looking for improved and diversified varieties suitable for different cooking methods and recipes.
Today there are six colored rices ranging from red to black and purple. There are four main varieties of short and medium rice, which are mainly used in sushi and dessert dishes that require highly glutinous sticky rice to be successful. Long-grain rice, a non-sticky type used primarily for side dishes and in Asian cooking, comes in three varieties. Brown rice is a firm, unpolished grain favored for its substantial texture and health benefits. There is currently only one hybrid rice, wild pecan rice, and it has no relation to wild rice or pecans.
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