What makes a risotto good are the ingredients chosen and the skill of the cook. A good rice is the ground and i cultivation methods. The concept is the same: quality and expertise count. Each grain retains the memory of everything it has absorbed from sowing to harvest, then in the pot, up to the plate.

«We farmers too must think about the food of the future. But I learned from the past that to make an excellent product, you have to respect the environment and tradition, "he explains Dino Massignani which manages the rice fields of San Massimo Reserve (reservasanmassimo.net), within the Lombardy Natural Park of the Ticino Valley, the first Italian regional park established in 1974.

They work with methods of biointegrated agriculture in an area of ​​800 hectares between moors and woods, crossed by 44 springs whose waters rich in organic substances flood the fields. Then there is another fact: with the reduction in flow, the river has changed course, leaving a very fertile layer of peat, where it can be grown with few natural fertilizers.

«I want to clarify that we only produce Authentic Carnaroli with certified seeds, and not similar varieties such as Carnak or Carnise, which are often found for sale under the same denomination. Our rice stands out for its superior height, between 160 and 170 cm, the long whiskers and the care at every stage ".

They collect it only when it is ripe and immediately dry it at a low temperature in a methane plant that preserves its characteristics. It is then left to rest in aerated silos and peeled in small batches, in stone as it used to be, before packaging it (white or whole) in a protected atmosphere. "We work in a delicate habitat, without which we would not make the same rice", concludes Massignani. "Everything contributes and must be respected, even the running of a fallow deer or the flight of a park pheasant".

by Sara Magro