Pasta, pasta, pasta is all that seems to be on anyone’s mind when perusing the primi section of an Italian menu, but look to the very bottom of the list and you’ll find a plate, placed there almost cursorily, with an underdog story: the creamy, wheat-free risotto. 

Rice is now the most consumed cereal in the world, where it is steamed, boiled, made as pilaf or paella, stuffed inside vegetables, and paired with about anything you can imagine, from vegetables and eggs to raw fish and meat. Except in Italy. Here, you’ll find it in just a few dishes: supplì in Rome or arancini in Sicily, mixed with potatoes and mussels in Puglia, as sartù di riso in Campania. The only preparation you may find from North to South is risotto.