Orzo (pasta)

For other uses, see Orzo.

"Risoni" redirects here; not to be confused with risotto.

Rainbow risoni pasta.

Orzo (Italian for "barley", from Latin hordeum),^[1] also known as risoni (It.: "big rice") outside the Western Hemisphere, is a form of pasta, in the shape of a large grain of rice, slightly smaller than a pine nut. It is often served with a ragù, used in soup, or baked in a casserole. While it was originally made from barley, orzo today is a hard wheat semolina product. It is also found as kritharáki ("little barley") and manéstra in Greek cuisine, arpa şehriye in Turkish cooking, and lisān al-`uṣfūr ("songbird tongue") in Arab cooking. Orzo is sometimes referred to as "Italian rice".

References

1. ^ http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orzo