Eating Risotto The Italian Way: Plate vs. Bowl

Understanding the texture of risotto is important for successful cooking. It’s neither like pasta nor soup, which is why it can be served in various dishes. However, there is a longtime debate on whether the plate or the bowl is better for serving the risotto.

There are various reasons why serving risotto on a flat plate is preferred. Some of them include:

• Highlighting the Grain: A flat plate easily showcases the risotto’s grain texture, emphasizing the creaminess and aroma of its ingredients.-
• Quick Heat Dissipation: Risotto on a flat plate cools rapidly, ensuring it’s at the perfect temperature when you’re ready to eat. –
• Avoid Overcooking: A deep dish, such as a bowl, might push the rice to the bottom, where it will keep cooking, ultimately ruining the desired texture.

Serving and Pairing Risotto the Italian Way

In Italy, risotto is often celebrated as a standalone dish, especially when it’s seasoned with robust flavors from meat, cheese, or fish sauce like risotto with crabs. However, there are rare occasions when risotto might share its glory with another delicacy, like the classic pairing of risotto Milanese and osso buco.

Italians often lean towards a meat or fish dish when considering what to pair with risotto as a subsequent course. However, given the heartiness and richness of many risotto preparations, it’s not unusual for it to be the main and sole attraction of an Italian meal.

The beauty of the risotto lies in its adaptability and versatility, which allows it to fit into various meal structures seamlessly.

How to Plate Risotto the Italian Way 

• Choose the Right Dish
• To serve risotto as it’s done in Italy, make sure you have a flat plate.
• Using a ladle, pour the hot risotto into the center of the plate and let it naturally spread from the center towards the edges.
• After pouring the risotto, give the bottom of the plate a few light taps with the palm of your hand. This helps the risotto spread out evenly.

Risotto should be served on a flat plate so that it will cool more quickly and thereby allow you to eat it without burning your mouth

Should risotto be eaten with a spoon or fork?

It should be eaten with a fork and not a spoon. In traditional Italian dining, risotto is eaten with a fork to enjoy its creamy texture and individual grains. Using a spoon is not the typical practice.