Risotto is a traditional Italian dish made with a suitable variety of rice such as Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. It originated in North Italy, specifically Eastern Piedmont, Western Lombardy, and Veneto (where the Vialone Nano comes from) where rice paddies are abundant. It is one of the pillars of Milanese cuisine. When risotto is cooked, the rice is first cooked briefly in butter or olive oil until evenly coated and the rice starts to turn translucent, before the broth is added, one ladle at a time. There are other similar dishes, but they should not be called "risotto" if the rice is not toasted. Recipes include "Risotto alla Milanese," made with chicken or beef stock and saffron, which is traditionally served with osso buco (a stew made from veal bones), and "Risotto al Barolo," made with red wine, but thousands of variations exist, both with vegetables and meat, as well as risottos made with various other wines, cheeses, or even fruits. "Risotto al nero di seppia" is a specialty of the Veneto region, made with cuttlefish that have been cooked with their ink-sacs intact. Risotto has been featured as one of the most commonly ordered (and botched) appetizers on all three seasons of the reality TV show Hell's Kitchen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risotto

Risotto is almost like a savory rice pudding, but with more rice than pudding part. It's am Italian rice dish made with short creamy grains of rice, often Arborio or Carnaroli rice. They get really creamy and soft as opposed to other kinds of rice that get fluffy and separate. You could risotto over heat, stirring for 20 minutes adding a little but of liquid at a time, not all at once like most rice dishes. It's the adding and stirring plus the short grains that make it so wonderful and creamy.