Orzo (, ; ; from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

), also known in Italy as (; 'large rains ofrice'), and popular in Greek cuisine as ''kritharaki'' (κριθαράκι), is a form of short-cut

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

shaped like a large grain of

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. Orzo is traditionally made from flour, but it can also be made of whole grain. It is often made with

semolina Semolina is the name given to roughly milled durum wheat mainly used in making pasta and sweet puddings. The term ''semolina'' is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or ma ...

, a type of flour made from

durum wheat Durum wheat (), also called pasta wheat or macaroni wheat (''Triticum durum'' or ''Triticum turgidum'' subsp. ''durum''), is a tetraploid species of wheat. It is the second most cultivated species of wheat after common wheat, although it repres ...

. The name is common for this pasta shape in North America, but less so in Italy, where the word usually still means 'barley'.

Preparation

There are many different ways to serve orzo. It can be an ingredient in soup, including

avgolemono Avgolemono ( or literally egg–lemon) is a family of sauces and soups made with egg (food), egg yolk and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken. Avgolemono can be used to thicken soups and stews. Yuvarlakia is a Greek meatball ...

, a

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

soup, and in Italian soups, such as

minestrone Minestrone (, ) or ''minestrone di verdure'' is a thick soup of Italian origin based on vegetables. It typically includes onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, often legumes, such as beans, chickpeas or fava beans, and sometimes ...

. It can also be part of a

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called '' salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of flavors, a ...

, a

pilaf Pilaf (), pilav or pilau () is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some technique for achieving ...

, or ''

giouvetsi Giouvetsi, yiouvetsi, or youvetsi (, , from Turkish ) is a Greek dish made with chicken, lamb or beef and pasta, either ''kritharaki'' ( orzo) or '' hilopites'' (small square noodles), and tomato sauce (usually spiced with allspice and someti ...

'', or baked in a

casserole A casserole (French language, French: diminutive of , from Provençal dialect, Provençal , meaning 'saucepan') is a kind of large, deep cookware and bakeware, pan or bowl used for cooking a variety of dishes in the oven; it is also a categor ...

. It can also be boiled and lightly fried, to create a dish similar to

risotto Risotto ( , ; from , 'rice') is an Italian cuisine, Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, a ...

. When the pasta is made, orzo can be colored by

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...

, chilies, and black beans to yield yellow, orange, or black pasta.

Other names

Orzo is essentially identical to the (, ), or ( when in soup) in

Greek cuisine Greek cuisine is the cuisine of Greece and the Greek diaspora. In common with many other Mediterranean cuisine, cuisines of the Mediterranean, it is founded on the triad of wheat, olive oil, and wine. It uses vegetables, olive oil, grains ...

, () in Turkish cooking, and (, ) in Egyptian cooking. In

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, the equivalent pasta is called (also the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

word for '

pine nut Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), or pignoli, are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are traded locall ...

s', which orzo resembles).

Ptitim Ptitim (, , , singular: , , ), often called Israeli couscous in English, is toasted pasta in tiny balls. Despite its name, it is not a type of couscous (, ). History Ptitim was created in 1953, during the austerity period in Israel. Israel's ...

is a rice-grain-shaped pasta developed in the 1950s in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

as a substitute for rice. It is also part of the traditional cuisine of the east of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, from

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

, where orzo is called or depending on the region. In

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, orzo is typically served in a chicken broth.

References

Types of pasta Italian cuisine Greek cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine {{Greece-cuisine-stub

Preparation

Other names

See also

References