Rice: a great alternative to pasta

Long before wheat, rice was much more commonly grown. It dates back to 12,000 years ago when it was first cultivated on Himalaya’s slopes and in Eastern Asia. Thanks to Arabs, rice was spread all over the Mediterranean basin and reached Northern Italy. Here it found a fertile ground (in the very sense of the word) in the Po valley.

Properties of rice

Besides different varieties – just think of Basmati, Venus black, brown, white rice with their more or less long grains –, rice is a very highly-digestible cereal. Containing no gluten, it is suitable for celiacs, and also provides B-group vitamins, copper, calcium, phosphorus and iron. Moreover, it is ideal for low sodium diet.

Rice: a tourism promoter

More and more people are pushed to discover several wine and food itineraries and initiatives having rice as their main theme. Italy has much to offer in this field. One of the most incredible show-festival is the World Panissa (a rice-based Piedmontese specialty) Championship held in Tricerro, in the province of Vercelli. Then, a wide choice of tours bringing you to countless rice fields and processing factories in Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto (e.g. Isola della Scala). You can also try risotto restaurants as well as the “ApeRiso”, a Milanese aperitivo – that’s basically a dinner – but based on rice dishes.

Sources

riso.it
stradadelriso.it - La terra del riso - Itinerari turistici: Isola della Scala