Orzo

For other uses, see Orzo (disambiguation).

Orzo (/ˈɔːrzoʊ, ˈɔːrtsoʊ/,^[1][2][3] Italian: [ˈɔrdzo]; lit. 'barley'; from Latin hordeum), also known in Italy as risoni (Italian: [riˈzoːni]; 'large [grains of] rice'), and popular in Greek cuisine as kritharaki (κριθαράκι), 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.

Orzo

Uncooked orzo
Alternative names	Risoni, pépinettes, piñones, ptitim, riewele
Type	Pasta
Place of origin	Mediterranean Basin
Main ingredients	Durum wheat
Media: Orzo

The name orzo is common for this pasta shape in North America, but less so in Italy, where the word usually still means 'barley'.^{[citation needed]}

Preparation

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][4]

It can also be boiled and lightly fried, to create a dish similar to risotto.^{[citation needed][9]}

When the pasta is made, orzo can be colored by saffron, chilies, and black beans to yield yellow, orange, or black pasta.^{[citation needed]}

Other names

Orzo is essentially identical to the κριθαράκι (kritharáki, lit. 'little barley'), or μανέστρα (manestra when in soup) in Greek cuisine, arpa şehriye (lit. 'barley noodle') in Turkish cooking, and لسان العصفور (lisān al-ʿaṣfūr, lit. 'sparrow tongue') in Egyptian cooking. In Spain, the equivalent pasta is called 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 pépinettes or riewele depending on the region. In Alsace, orzo is typically served in a chicken broth.^[12]

See also

Media related to Orzo at Wikimedia Commons

• Italy portal
• Greece portal
• Food portal

• List of pasta