Orzo (pasta)

For other uses, see Orzo.

"Risoni" redirects here; not to be confused with risotto.

Rainbow risoni pasta.

Orzo (Italian for "barley", from Latin hordeum), also known as risoni (It.: "big rice") outside the Western Hemisphere, is a form of pasta, in the shape of a large grain of rice, slightly smaller than a pine nut. It is often served with a ragù, used in soup, or baked in a casserole. While it was originally made from barley, orzo today is a hard wheat semolina product. It is also found as kritharáki ("little barley") and manéstra in Greek cuisine, arpa şehriye in Turkish cooking, and lisān al-`uṣfūr ("songbird tongue") in Arab cooking. In these Eastern Mediterranean cuisines, orzo is generally made into a chicken soup, often served to the ill and infirm.