Characteristics

Italian rice can be brown or white. Brown rice has a different processing compared to white rice. Besides the brown rice is an important food because it has nutritional values more high than white rice

Rice is a cereal like corn or wheat, but unlike its relatives it has less fat and is eaten by roughly half of the world’s population.
Here are the nutritional values of rice per 100 grams:

Depending on its grain characteristics (short, medium, round or long), rice can be subdivided into four basic varieties - common, prime quality, superb quality and premium quality.

Common rice - such as Balilla - has very small, round grains with a cooking time of around 12 to 13 minutes and is especially suitable for minestrone and other soups.

Prime quality rice has medium-long, round grains and a slightly higher cooking time compared to common rice of 13 to 15. It is perfect for hors-d’oeuvres, and hot and cold main dishes. The most popular example, Vialone Nano, is ideal for a large range of dishes.

Superb quality rice is characterized by semi-long and long grains that need to be cooked for 14 to 16 minutes. One of the most important varieties is Sant’Andrea, which is excellent as an accompaniment or a base for minestrone and other soups.

Premium quality, with its large and long grains, has a cooking time of 16 to 18 minutes and is particularly suitable for risotto dishes.

Rice is also classified as white or brown, not on the basis of the variety, but according to how it is processed. White rice undergoes a number of processes to eliminate all the external layers, while the first phase for brown rice is to remove the husk without touching the other layers. Brown rice contains the highest nutritional and mineral value and also preserves all the cereal’s protein and vitamin content during the cooking phase.