Riso Carnaroli — Pianura Padana, Piemonte and Lombardia

Carnaroli is a short-grained rice of the Po plain, grown in the flooded paddies of the provinces of Pavia and Novara, Vercelli and the neighbouring lowlands of Lombardia and Piemonte. Marcella Hazan, in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, places risotto in the rice country of northern Italy and names Carnaroli among the varieties suited to it, alongside Arborio and Vialone Nano. I state no date of breeding and no breeder, because the source does not supply them. The rice belongs to the tradition of risotto, in which the grain is toasted in fat and cooked by the gradual addition of hot stock.

Carnaroli is a Japonica-type rice of Oryza sativa, a long, thick, pearly grain among the largest of the Italian risotto varieties. Hazan groups it with the superfino rices, whose grain holds a firm core while the surface releases starch into the cooking liquid. It is sold white, milled but not parboiled, and is graded by grain size rather than by cut. The grain is hard and translucent with a small central opaque area, and it is used dry, never washed or soaked before cooking.

Risotto made with Carnaroli is eaten as a first course in northern Italy, typically with butter and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Hazan's classic preparations pair it with meat stock, saffron and bone marrow, or with vegetables. The mild, starchy grain carries fat and savoury stock without competing with them, which is why rich and delicate flavours alike sit well on it. A dry white wine of good acidity, or a light northern red, is the natural accompaniment, since acidity cuts through the butter and cheese that bind the rice.