It is a cereal perhaps native to Indonesia -7000 years old grains were found there!- that later extended to China, India and Mesopotamia. There are many varieties -2,500 different ones- but basically it is divided in 2 categories: japonica and indica. Japonica rice has more rounded grains and a less hard shell that makes it easily releasing starch during cooking: all the rice we use to cook risottos belong to this category. Indica rice instead has elongated grains and a hard shell that, making more difficult the release of starch, keeps the grains separated even after a long cooking time. This type of rice is suitable for salads and pilaf, including the famous Spanish paella. It is the most popular food in the world. This cereal is sown in spring and harvested in autumn. It is a high-calorie food and contains protein, starch and fat. In Piedmont the rice capital is Vercelli, but also in the Novara area its cultivation is very developed. Each variety of rice has particular characteristics. The most valuable Piedmontese qualities of rice are: Baldo, suitable for fish risottos and rice salads; Balilla, great for timbales savarin and desserts; Carnaroli, perfect for vegetable risottos; Sant'Andrea, ideal for soups; and, last but not least, Avenone Nano, mostly used for meat risottos. Parboiled: it is rice of the indica category treated with an ancient Indian process whereby the rice is boiled before being husked. This technique has the advantage of diffusing inside the grain bran’s vitamins which normally disappear during the husking. These vitamins are indispensable for populations that base their diet on rice. Most rice is grown in rice fields that is to say in water which tends to contain weeds that could suffocate rice. However in some regions rice is grown dry, mainly in hilly areas. In Europe the largest producer is Italy.