Monday, June 25, 2018

Where's the Parm?!

It was getting close to lunch time when I began daydreaming about risotto while sitting in my cubical at work. Out of boredom, I found myself on Google looking at recipes, nearby restaurants that offered the dish, and Wikipedia’s definition. I was shocked that Wikipedia did not list parmesan cheese as a main ingredient and felt compelled to correct it. Here is the original post: 
Risotto
Risotto /rɪˈzɒtoʊ/ (Italian: [riˈzɔtto] or [riˈsɔtto]) is a northern Italian rice dish cooked in a broth to a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, wine, and onion. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in ItalySaffron was originally used for flavour and its attractive yellow colour.[1][2]
Basic preparation
There are many different risotto recipes with different ingredients, but they are all based on rice of an appropriate variety, cooked in a standard procedure,[8] requiring, unlike other rice dishes, constant care and attention.[9] The rice is not pre-rinsed, as washing would remove much of the starch required for a creamy texture. 
The following excerpts are problematic because they do not list parmesan cheese as a main ingredient. Parmesan cheese is a necessary ingredient as it adds to the creamy texture and overall taste of the dish. The basic preparation portion needed a slight alteration as well. It stated that the rice cannot be pre-rinsed. That is true but failed to mention that the rice cannot be rinsed or drained after it has been cooked either because it will lose its creaminess. The sections on Wikipedia now read:
Risotto
Risotto /rɪˈzɒtoʊ/ (Italian: [riˈzɔtto] or [riˈsɔtto]) is a northern Italian rice dish cooked in a broth to a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, wine, onion, and parmesan cheese. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in ItalySaffron was originally used for flavour and its attractive yellow colour.[1][2]
Basic preparation
There are many different risotto recipes with different ingredients, but they are all based on rice of an appropriate variety, cooked in a standard procedure.[8] Risotto, unlike other rice dishes, requires constant care and attention.[9] The rice is not to be pre-rinsed, boiled, or drained, as washing would remove much of the starch required for a creamy texture.[10][11]
My alterations to the posting can be viewed here.

This was my first time ever making a change to Wikipedia before and I found it to be pretty neat. I hope that my alteration encourages others to add and share their knowledge as well, and perhaps cause them to try some risotto in the meantime! 

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