How risotto conquered the world

Even though rice is not an Italian ingredient, risotto is an authentic Italian dish! It’s made with rice and various side dishes: seafood, mushroom, vegetables, asparagus, prosciutto.

The masterpiece of Italian cuisine

Rice made it to Italy thanks to Arabs. Not only all social classes have wholeheartedly accepted rice, but various regions have made it a part of their sensational recipes. The Mediterranean climate turned out to be great for the growth of short-grain rice, so naturally, the activity developed into a highly successful business. Although the most famous recipes originate from the 16th century, only in 1829 risotto was described as a dish with three stages of preparation. The first step is to fry rice on fat and onion, the second step is to add soup stock, and the third step is to stir until the rice is creamy. At this stage, other ingredients are to be added.

The art of making a perfectly creamy risotto

For the creamiest risotto, one should add warm stock gradually, when the previous quantity is fully absorbed. Constant stirring is mandatory to prevent the rice from gluing in the pan. Speaking of the pan, it would be best to use a wide pan where the stock evaporates evenly and every grain gets equally exposed to heat.

In Dalmatia, we’re accustomed to risotto with seafood, prosciutto, and asparagus, but there are many combinations all over the world thanks to the popularity of Italian cuisine. Some of them are truly unique and peculiar. Believe it or not, people have it with strawberries too! Another unusual combination is the one with smoked shrimp and mussels with parmesan ice cream. It’s called risotto al dimi, and you’ll know how it tastes only if you pop by!