Carnaroli, being served up in Varese farm holiday centres

Lombardy is the “Queen of Italy” when it comes to Carnaroli, with about 70% of the national harvest of this precious variety of rice. But the term “Carnaroli” on the boxes that you buy in the stores does not necessarily indicate that the rice inside is true Carnaroli. European legislation allows using the term “Carnaroli” for similar, lesser rice varieties “Carnaroli” (such varieties include Caravaggio, Karnak, Carnaval, Carnise, premature Carnise, Poseidone and Keope; but the distinction is not made on the boxes) and obviously non-Italian varieties.

To defend the name and the quality, Coldiretti has decided to dedicate a week to the prince of rice varieties, with initiatives involving the whole region, at the covered farmers’ market in Porta Romana, Milan, but also in the farm holiday centres of “Terranostra Campagna Amica”, in the provinces in Lombardy, where the true “Carnaroli da Carnaroli Pavese grown from certified seeds” will be served up, as Massimo Grignani, the president of Terranostra Lombardia and Terranostra Varese, announced today during the press conference to present the event in Varese Province, which was held in Casciago, in one of the farm holiday centres taking part in the initiative, “Il ronco di Casarico”.

Varese Province is the province that has participated most in the initiative: indeed, there are 13 centres that are taking part, out of 50 in the whole of Lombardy: from Brinzio to Casciago, from Cuasso al Monte to Cairate, from Castiglione Olona to Cugliate Fabiasco, Azzate, Taino, Lonate Ceppino, Montegrino Valtravaglia, Origgio, Tradate and Lonate Pozzolo. The participation is even greater than the main province for the production of Carnaroli, Pavia Province, which has 11 centres.

IN MILAN, RISOTTO BY CHEF BARZETTI

The initiatives will start tomorrow, Wednesday 20, at the farmers’ market in Via Friuli 10/A, in Milan. On the days when the market is open, at 11 a.m., there will be show cooking, with the Terranostra “agrichef” from Pavia, who will demonstrate some recipes made with this high-quality rice. On Saturday 23 March, the special guest is chef Sergio Barzetti, the well-known face on the small screen, who has been an official resident of Malnate (and therefore Varese Province) for many years now, where he lives and has chosen to open his “Cucina Barzetti”.

Colidiretti remind us that the covered market of “Campagna Amica”, in Milan, is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

THROUGHOUT LOMBARDY, A MENU OF CARNAROLI

Carnaroli Week continues at the weekend, in over 50 “Terranostra Campagna Amica” farm holiday centres, in the provinces of Pavia, Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Como, Milan, Lecco, Mantua, Sondrio and Varese.

On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 March, you can try Carnaroli-based dishes, to discover the taste of Carnaroli “doc”.

Each of the centres will have its own specialty; to discover those of the centres in Varese Province, visit the website www.agriturismivarese.it, enter the pages on farm holiday centres, with the ear of rice, and consult the menus and prices of the initiative.