It looks as if you are entering a
rice field - rice on the ground and reflected on the mirrored
walls that surround it.
Once inside, a world of utter simplicity awaits, with
products made by craftsmen from Cambodia, Laos, Sierra Leone and
India showcased alongside the rice.
The rice cluster at Milan Expo 2015 focuses on a dietary
staple with ancient origins eaten by half the world's population
and of which over 140 varieties are known.
Rice was the first of the nine Expo clusters to be
inaugurated and both Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina and
Expo Milano 2015 Commissioner Giuseppe Sala attended, alongside
the delegations of the countries involved in the project.
With its architecture designed on the basis of mirrors in
order to recall the landscape of rice fields, the cluster is one
of the most richly praised by visitors.
It focuses on simplicity, with its miniature rice field
outside and a sort of 'ethnic market' inside.
Inaugurating it were the delegations of the six countries
involved: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, the
Democratic People's Republic of Laos and India, the largest
producer in the world alongside China and which coordinates the
Basmati Pavilion with Amity University.
Every country brings a specific theme, but together they
''represent the huge work that there is behind every variety to
reduce energy costs, soil consumption and the use of pesticides,
for rice that is ever more sustainable,'' said one of the
directors, Massimo Labra, professor of plant biology at Milan's
Bicocca University.
Italy's experience is also represented in the cluster with
Riso Scotti, which operates in the Lomellina area of
southwestern Lombardy.
This is the area in which some of the most highly valued
varieties come from, including carnaroli and arborio.
Scotti shows visitors in the shared space how rice
processing has changed over the past 150 years.
Only 0.25% of the world's rice is produced in Italy, but
the country has focused on quality and top brand names.
The national authority for rice, which works to safeguard
the sector, has brought Italian rice producers' experience to
the Expo with a space inside the food-producers' Federalimentare
pavilion - 'Cibus è Italia'.
Some 52 enterprises are taking part in the project and
they represent the best of Italian production from the Lomellina
area to the Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Sardinia regions.
The star at Expo is also one of the most well-known dishes
of Italian cuisine - risotto.
The well-known chef Davide Oldani will make a Milan
risotto for the occasion, with carnaroli from the Lomellina that
was aged 18 months, and saffron from a small producer.
Tricks to a great risotto will be available near the Zero
pavilion every day of the Expo.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
