Sample text from Autumn in Piemonte ~ Rice Lands ~ The Harvest of the Royal Plain.

Rice-growing is something one tends to associate with tropical countries in Asia, but one of the great rice-producing areas of the world, at least in terms of the fame of its product, is in Piemonte, on the alluvial plain where numerous rivers that drain from the nearby Alps run slow and wide across the countryside that is almost completely flat.

For over 500 years this has been Europe’s largest rice-producing area and has shaped the landscape and the economies of the surrounding area. This is where the famed Carnaroli and Arborio rice, used to make risotto, are grown. Italians will argue over the type of rice to make the best risotto with the same passion that other people will over which variety of grape they prefer for their wine.

The key qualities for risotto are absorbability (the capacity to absorb a large amount of the broth in which it is cooked) and consistency (the ability of the grains to remain separate and slightly firm inside -- ‘al dente’). As we travelled across this country the rice harvest is in full swing...