Rice is born in water and dies in wine — the perfect risotto requires both the paddy field and the wine glass: it is born from the flooded paddies and finished with a glass of good white wine.
This delightful proverb from the rice-growing regions of the Po Valley — the Lomellina, the Vercellese, the Novarese — describes both the cultivation of rice (which requires flooded paddy fields) and the cooking technique. In risotto alla milanese, the rice is toasted in butter, the wine is added immediately after (the first glass, which sizzles as it hits the hot rice and fills the kitchen with steam), and then the stock is added gradually. The wine literally preserves the grain structure while adding acidity and complexity. The proverb is both a recipe instruction and a meditation on transformation: from the humble water of the paddy to the refined liquid of the wine glass, the rice undergoes a civilising journey.
Lombard culinary proverb from the rice-growing culture of the Lomellina and Vercellese. The risotto tradition is inseparable from the wine-growing culture of the Po Valley.
A Lombard cooking teacher at a risotto class
Ricordate: el ris el nasc in acqua e el mor nel vin. Prima la tostatura, poi il vino — subito, tutto insieme, e lasciate sfumare.
Remember: rice is born in water and dies in wine. First the toasting, then the wine — immediately, all at once, and let it evaporate.
A rice farmer in the Lomellina on his work
Io pianto il riso nell'acqua dei canali. El ris el nasc in acqua e el mor nel vin — quello che viene dopo è lavoro del cuoco.
I plant the rice in the canal water. Rice is born in water and dies in wine — what comes after is the cook's work.
A Milanese host explaining risotto to foreign guests
Perché metto il vino adesso? El ris el nasc in acqua e el mor nel vin — è il segreto del risotto. E non mettete vino da cucina.
Why do I add the wine now? Rice is born in water and dies in wine — it is the secret of risotto. And do not use cooking wine.
A Pavese winemaker pairing his white with a local risotto
Il mio Pinot Grigio dell'Oltrepò fa quello per cui è nato. El ris el nasc in acqua e el mor nel vin — e finisce anche nel bicchiere.
My Oltrepò Pinot Grigio does what it was born for. Rice is born in water and dies in wine — and it ends up in the glass too.