The Distretto Rurale Riso e Rane (Rural District Rice and Frogs) was created in an area of the Province of Milan, completely included in the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano and partly in the Parco Lombardo Valle del Ticino, bordered by the river Ticino to the west, the Province of Pavia to the south-west and Milan.
About 80% of its surface area is agricultural, with a high level of biodiversity, including 23 municipalities (within a radius of less than 30 km from Milan Cathedral) with enormous potential for both accommodation and recreation, where the world’s best varieties of rice for risotto are grown, with production yields among the highest in Europe.
It is located in an area where the cultivation of rice is closely linked to the land and takes on economic, historical, cultural, landscape and environmental importance of absolute importance.
The Distretto Rurale Riso e Rane (Rural District for Rice and Frogs), officially recognised and accredited by the Region of Lombardy, currently boasts the presence of around 40 rice-growing companies with a total cultivated area of around 4,000 hectares and a cultivated area of around 3,000 hectares of rice.
In the territories of the District, mainly rice of the best varieties is grown: Carnaroli and Arborio, used in gastronomy for Risotto alla Milanese and others, cultivated a stone’s throw from Milan in an environment that is still uncontaminated, where valuable water from the Naviglio Grande is used for irrigation.
The mission of the “Riso e Rane” Rural District is to guarantee the quality of the product by combining sustainable cultivation and respect for the history and culture of the area, from a perspective in which traditions are born as innovations and successful innovations create economic development by enhancing the history of a community and a territory.
Controlled DNA
The Rural District “Rice and Frogs”, through the “Controlled DNA” brand, guarantees in its packages with the indication “Gran Riserva Carnaroli Rice”, “Carnaroli Rice”, “Carnaroli Wholemeal Rice”, “Carnaroli Rice Flour” exclusively the presence of the variety indicated on the label, a variety known and appreciated all over the world. The DNA analyses allow the “Rice and Frogs” Rural District to guarantee the consumer that the Carnaroli variety is actually present in the packages and to exclude varieties that are similar in terms of their product form but are genetically different and therefore have organoleptic characteristics and cooking performance that are not similar to Carnaroli.
The rice contained in the packages bearing the ‘DNA Controllato’ mark is produced within the ‘Riso e rane’ rural district and certified in accordance with current regulations. It was born and raised in its territory, guaranteeing its traceability and territorial identity, thanks to a project developed by the District and approved by the Lombardy Region and the European Community through Measure no. 124 of the 2007-2013 Rural Development Plan.
The use of certified seeds, DNA analysis and complete traceability allow the Rural District “Rice and Frogs” to offer consumers the authentic taste of Carnaroli rice.