The Curious Story Of Risotto

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Rice was known in ancient Rome, but was used only for medicinal purposes. With the spread of Islam around the world, the journey of this food began.

The homeland of rice is India, Thailand and China, but the Arabs also began to grow it in oases, swamps and floodplains. The prototype of the risotto was pilaf - a typical Arabic dish. Recipes for rice dishes can be found in medieval Arabic books. The most delicious dishes were considered to be prepared from rice with butter, butter, oil and thick milk.

The Arabs brought rice to Spain and the island of Sicily. From there, merchants distributed it to markets and fairs in Champagne. Its popularity has grown so much in Europe that it has almost replaced vegetables. Due to the claim that food needs are constantly growing in the Lombardy region of Italy, huge areas have been prepared for rice cultivation. It was believed that the plant would be able to meet these needs.

Decades later, the rice settled permanently on the Italian table. This is also judged from a letter from the Venetian Galeazzo Maria Sforza dated September 27, 1475, in which he asked the Duke of Ferrara to deliver twelve sacks of rice. He needed the grain to meet noble envoys. The cooks of the Venetian doge had to prepare the exquisite dish, minestra de riso, which consisted mainly of rice. This dish later became known as risotto.

The first recipes for risotto appeared in the 15th century, when an anonymous Venetian chef wrote in his recipes riso in bona manera (rice in a refined style). The recipe was for rice made with almonds. In Italian riso means not only rice but also laughter. This is how the saying came about, who says that whoever eats risotto bursts into laughter easily.

Nowadays, risotto is a dish typical of northern Italy and the city of Milan. There is a legend from 1574, which tells about the creation of risotto ala Milanese. The Gothic cathedral of the Duomo di Milano had just been built and an apprentice named Valerius was to paint the decorative glass on the windows.

He decided to add saffron to the pigment to enhance the colors. Everyone laughed at him, and he decided to get back by putting saffron in the rice prepared for his master's wedding. The result was stunning and the recipe quickly spread and the dish was named after him.