[Sca-cooks] Neapolitan Risotto? (was re: Black Rice)

[johnna holloway]

Simon Varey lists "risotto" as being a patrician first course
dish in Italy in the work Regional Cuisines of Medieval Europe.
But this is not the "risotto" of today. He notes that Arborio
rice is 20th century hybrid. Alan Davidson, however, says that
there are printed recipes for it in the mid-19th century, so Varey
may be off as to when the rice was developed. Or it could be that
the rice was a different variety.
Millham's editon of Platina translates Book VII, recipe
27 as:
 Rice in whatever broth you want.
Season rice in the same way as groats. Some eliminate the eggs,
but this should be your own choice.

Recipe 26 for Groats says:
Cook clean washed groats in chicken broth for a long time and when it is
cooked, transfer part to dish. When it has cooled a little, put
in three eg yolks combined with saffron, and again transfer to the pot
 and sprinkle with spices.

This may be as close as we come for something like a risotto.

Johnnae  llyn Lewis  Johnna Holloway

Nick Sasso wrote:snipped
> If this is the recipe to which he referred, I find it less
> risotto-like, and more frumenty-like in design and insinuated technique.snipped>
> This could be anywhere from a savory rice pudding looking dish to a
> thickened porridge to a rice soup using the egg and cheese as thickening
> agents for the brodo (broth).
> niccolo difrancesco
-----------------------
Daniel Myers wrote:
> There's a very risotto-like dish in Scully's "Neapolitan Cuisine" -
> cooked rice, eggs, cheese, pepper, and the like.  So I'd say they're
> period for 14th century Italy.  I'll post the source test when I get
> home this evening.