Orzo (pasta)

Orzo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɔrdzo], Italian for "barley", from Latin hordeum), also risoni ([riˈzoːni], "big rice"), is a form of short-cut pasta, shaped like a large grain of rice. Orzo can be served alone, as a soup accompaniment, as part of a salad or pilaf or giouvetsi or baked in a casserole.

Orzo is similar to Ptitim or "Ben Gurion Rice" in Israeli cuisine, κριθαράκι (kritharáki) ("little barley") in Greek cuisine, arpa şehriye in Turkish cooking, and lisān al-`uṣfūr ("songbird tongue") in Arabic cooking.

Orzo is often boiled in Italian soups, like minestrone. It also is boiled and lightly fried, to resemble risotto.