Vialone Nano facts for kids

Grains of semi-milled Vialone Nano rice.

Vialone Nano is a special kind of rice from Italy. It's known as a "medium-grain" rice. This rice grows in the flat, rice-farming areas of southern Verona in a region called Veneto.

Vialone Nano is a specific type of plant, or cultivar, that belongs to the Japonica group of rice plants. Its scientific name is Oryza sativa.

What is Vialone Nano Rice Used For?

Vialone Nano rice is very popular for making a creamy Italian dish called risotto. It's similar to another famous rice called Carnaroli.

This rice has a lot of starch, which helps make risottos wonderfully creamy. It also has something called amylose. This helps the rice grains stay firm and absorb lots of liquid while cooking. This means your risotto will be creamy but the rice won't turn to mush!

The Story of Vialone Nano Rice

Vialone Nano rice has been grown in Italy since 1937. It was created by mixing two different types of rice. One was called Vialone, and the other was called Nano. The "Nano" part means "dwarf" or "small" in Italian. This is because the rice plant itself is quite short.

Special Protection for Veronese Vialone Nano

In 1996, the Veronese Vialone Nano rice got a special award called a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). In Italy, this is known as IGP. This means that only rice grown and processed in a specific area of Verona can be called Riso Nano Vialone Veronese IGP.

This special label helps make sure the rice is always of high quality. It also protects its unique connection to the area where it's grown. The rice grains should be medium-sized and round. They should look white and have a pearly center.

Where Vialone Nano Rice Grows

The special Riso Nano Vialone Veronese IGP can only be grown and processed in 24 towns. All these towns are in the Verona province in Italy. Here are the towns: