risotto a celebrated and popular rice dish which originated in the rice-growing areas of N. Italy. It has something in common with paella and pilaf, in that rice is cooked in liquid with other ingredients whose flavour is absorbed by the grains, but the method is quite different; risotto is probably a peasant dish which has become sophisticated. The first recipes were published in the mid-19th century by Artusi, the first celebrated Italian cookery writer, and Vialardi, later chef to King Victor Emmanuel.
