The Italian food of the Veneto region poses a perplexing question: With so many dishes to choose from, how can anyone have only one favorite? Given the great regional variations within the region, not to mention between Veneto and the rest of the country, there are a lot of unique dishes waiting for you to discover them. However, if risotto is something you crave, Veneto is definitely for you.

One of the most recognized Italian food dishes is Risotto and because of that Veneto is a must stop region for those travelers in Italy wanting to taste some excellent Italian food.

Risotto is most simply a rice dish cooked very precisely. It is one of the most commonly ordered appetizers at Italian food restaurants. Yet for its amazing popularity, it is also one of the most common Italian food dishes to be botched. The key to a good risotto is to first cook the rice briefly in olive oil or butter.

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.

Because of the versatility of risotto, there are a multitude of variations on the recipe. Nearly any good ingredients will make a good risotto, the exact components depend greatly on location if you are in Veneto. Whatever the local specialty happens to be, you can bet it will end up in the local risotto - e.g. seafood near the coast, and so on.

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 Italian food dishes of Veneto differ somewhat from those usually thought of when one thinks of Italian food. Heavier dishes are commonplace, and beans are a common ingredient. In fact, the peoples of the Veneto region are sometimes called "fagioli" by their neighbors to the south, a reference to the popular Veneto regional dish of pasta and beans.

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.

In Veneto, the Italian food prominently features the local produce; radicchio and asparagus are things the Veneto region is well known for, as are peas with rice. This is a dish found only in Veneto, and is something of a departure from what Italian food is generally assumed to be.

The Italian food of Veneto clearly breaks the mold. It is full of diversity from dishes made wholly with vegetables and rice, to some of the most famous sausages in the world. If a night of Italian food for you must include risotto, than Veneto is the place to be. If you consider yourself a sausage connoisseur than the Italian food of Veneto will again be a must taste for you. The region truly offers something for everyone!