| Orzo | |
| Alternate Name: | Risoni, pépinettes, piñones, ptitim, riewele |
| Country: | Mediterranean Basin |
| Type: | Pasta |
Orzo ([1] [2] [3] pronounced as /it/; ; from Latin Latin: hordeum), also known as Italian: risoni (pronounced as /it/; 'large [grains of] rice'), is a form of short-cut pasta shaped like a large grain of rice.[4] Orzo is traditionally made from flour,[5] but it can also be made of whole grain. It is often made with semolina, a type of flour made from durum wheat.
The name Italian: orzo is common for this pasta shape in North America, but less so in Italy, where the word usually still means 'barley'.
There are many different ways to serve orzo. It can be an ingredient in soup,[6] including avgolemono, a Greek soup,[7] and in Italian soups, such as minestrone. It can also be part of a salad, a pilaf, or giouvetsi, or baked in a casserole.[8]
It can also be boiled and lightly fried, to create a dish similar to risotto.[9]
When the pasta is made, orzo can be colored by saffron, chilies, and black beans to yield yellow, orange, or black pasta.
Orzo is essentially identical to the Greek, Modern (1453-);: κριθαράκι, or Greek, Modern (1453-);: μανέστρα (when in soup) in Greek cuisine, Turkish: arpa şehriye in Turkish cooking, and Arabic: لسان العصفور in Egyptian cooking. In Spain, the equivalent pasta is called Spanish; Castilian: piñones (also the Spanish word for 'pine nuts', which orzo resembles[10]). Ptitim is a rice-grain-shaped pasta developed in the 1950s in Israel as a substitute for rice.[11]
It is also part of the traditional cuisine of the east of France, from Lorraine to Provence, where orzo is called French: pépinettes or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: riewele depending on the region. In Alsace, orzo is typically served in a chicken broth.[12]