Product Description
Ferron Carnaroli is a superb Italian rice and the first choice of many Italian chefs for cooking the perfect risotto. This is because it tends to retain its texture and not over-cook easily. It is the ideal rice to use with ingredients that tend to release a lot of fluid such as seafood, tomatoes and mushrooms. It is also perfect for rice salads. Cooking time is 14 to 15 minutes for ‘al dente’.
Ferron Carnaroli has a slightly nutty flavour. It also has a high amylose content (24.1%). This relatively high amylose content gives Carnaroli the admirable quality of allowing a significant window between cooked and overcooked risotto.
Of all the varieties grown in Italy, Carnaroli is the most difficult to grow and process. Ferron Carnaroli rice is cultivated by the rice growers of Isola della Scala using traditional and organic methods. All Ferron rice is cultivated according to organic, sustainable practices and there is no use of pesticides or herbicides. In accordance with traditional farming practices, fields are routinely left fallow. In non-planting years, corn and medicinal herbs are cultivated to replenish the soil with nutrients. Water from pure and unpolluted underground springs encourages pristine crop growth. The canals running through the rice paddies are full of carp which control pests in a delicate and naturally maintained ecosystem.
Carnaroli is the perfect rice for seafood risotto because the rice will not over-cook when the extra fluid is added. It is also excellent when serving risi in brodo, or rice in soup.
about the producer
The Antica Riseria Ferron family has specialised in rice production for four generations. After a period of apprenticeship as a piloti (‘rice-mill worker’), Luigi Zachetti acquired various rice mills throughout the Veneto region. He passed the trade and the business to his son-in-law Marcello Ferron and his grandson, Lionello Ferron. Luigi’s great-grandson, Gabriele Ferron, now manages the business.
In 1975, Gabriele Ferron recognised that mass production of inferior rice posed a serious threat to the survival of two exceptional varieties of Veronese rice. He later established and led a consortium of rice growers in the Isola della Scala valley to protect these delicate species. Gabriele Ferron’s dedication has ensured that Vialone Nano rice and Carnaroli rice are available to an appreciative market across the globe.
The Pila Vecia (‘old mill’ in the Veronese dialect) is central to Antica Riseria Ferron. Venetian state archives indicate that the mill has been in operation since 1656. Situated 11 kilometres from Verona, it has been owned by the Ferron family since 1921. A canal called the Fossa Zenobia runs under the Pila Vecia. The water turns the original seven-metre paddle wheel, which provides the energy for a series of centuries-old pestelli (wooden poles with marble tips) which gently work up and down to crush whole grains of rice and remove the outer husks.
The next step is the mechanical removal of pula (chaff). Pula is the case or capsule surrounding the grain. By removing the minimum amount of pula, Gabriele Ferron ensures that each rice grain retains its precious starches, proteins, vitamins and minerals. No chemicals are used to remove the husk and pula.
joan mitchell (verified owner) –
fantastic product, we love it. Risotto must be made with the correct type of rice and this is it. also great value
Sharyn Baker (verified owner) –
Great rice for risotto. Easy to cook till al Dente.
Luisa (verified owner) –
The BEST carnaroli … FERRON!!! 👍👌
Superb! 🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟
Roslyn Anictomatis (verified owner) –
If you are going to make Risotto not only do you have to have the best quality ingredients like home made stock & Reggiano you have to have the best rice & this is it!