Other than pasta, risotto is one of the most famous of Italian foods. And if some of the greatest Italian food dishes in existence are what you're looking for, Veneto is a place you must visit, at least via the dinner table.

A rice dish prepared in a specific way (we'll cover that in a minute), it is one of the more popular Italian food dishes and is a staple of restaurants specializing in Italian food. To properly make a risotto, the rice must be first cooked quickly in butter or olive oil.

The rice must be stirred so that it is evenly coated with the oil or butter, and cooked until it starts to become translucent. Once that has been achieved, broth is slowly (and I mean slowly, one spoonful at a time is traditional). One thing to keep in mind about risotto; the rice must be toasted, or no matter how good the result or how nice your local purveyor of Italian food may be, it's just not risotto.

Risotto is an incredibly versatile dish; almost anything may be added to it. Because of the diversity of high quality local ingredients in the Veneto region, this makes for a fascinating variety of risottos to be tried. The local specialty (for example, seafood and fish in coastal areas) tends to put in an appearance in the risotto.

The possibilities go far beyond seafood though, all sorts of fresh local specialties show up in the Veneto region. Pumpkin, asparagus, even radicchio turn up in these local gems. Frog legs may even be found, a more commonplace part of Italian food than many would suppose.

The Veneto region is also home to some unique foods. The dishes here are heavier and rely on exotic spices and sauces. One unique dish that originated here and is quickly gaining popularity as an Italian food dish is pasta and beans. Beans are used in many dishes here due to their ready availability.

Anchovy, as well as stockfish are present in some dishes of the Veneto region. But the popularity of sausages dwarfs that of the humble anchovy, with the local dry-cured, pressed salami (sopressata) and garlic salami being special favorites.

It is most often made with pork, but sometimes beef is used. Another favorite Italian food meat is garlic salami. The Italian food here is also reliant on some of the prized vegetables of the area. Veneto is especially known for their high quality red radicchio and their asparagus. One last dish that is unique to the area is a rice dish with young peas.

As we have seen, the Italian food of Veneto differs from the stereotype of Italian food held by many. From rice and vegetable dishes to its famed sausages like sopressata, there is a lot to choose from. If it just isn't Italian food to you unless risotto is served, or if you know your sausage, Veneto's Italian food is the thing for you. With it's great variety, Veneto has a dish that will please everybody.