1st Workshop on EU Rice

21st June 2022 – from 10 am to 2 pm
Villa Tomasa | Kreuzbergstraße 62 – Berlin

The initiatives of the Sustainable EU Rice – Don’t Think Twice project continue. The next appointment will be on the 21st of June, in Berlin, with a first workshop addressing the press, opinion-makers and sector operators, and focusing on the key project theme of production sustainability, as well as highlighting other significant aspects, such as the quality, safety, nutritional properties and versatility in the kitchen of EU Rice.

From 10 am, at Villa Tomasa (62, Kreuzbergstraße), there will be interventions by three expert speakers from the major rice producing countries in the European Union of Italy, Portugal and France, and by promoters of the three-year project, financed with the support of the European Union in order to promote European Japonica rice.

The first intervention in the morning will be given by Daniele Tenni, Agronomist at the Italian National Rice Authority (Ente Nazionale Risi – ENTERISI) Research Centre, and will focus on the sustainable water use, paddy field biodiversity, and sustainable cultivation based on traditional techniques.

Next up will be Pedro Monteiro, Vice President of Casa do Arroz – Associaçao Interprofissional do Arroz, the Portuguese interprofessional rice supply chain association, who will provide an analysis of the three main European markets, Portugal, Italy and France, in terms of supply chain traceability and transparency, from sowing right through to marketing, without forgetting the quality controls that guarantee food safety and product healthiness.

Finally, Bertrand Mazel, President of SRFF, the Union of Rice Growers of France and the Rice Sector, will provide a review of the different varieties of European rice, highlighting their versatility in the kitchen, and focusing on the priceless culture and tradition of this gastronomic heritage that our continent boasts.

Following these interventions, there will be show-cooking to present three specialities: Risotto agli Asparagi (asparagus risotto) for Italy, Gardianne de Taureau (rancher’s bull stew) for France, and Arroz Doce (sweet rice) for Portugal. The demonstration will also be an opportunity to learn more about the nutritional properties of European rice, which, thanks to its high digestibility and nutritional values, is properly defined as a “health cereal”.