Risotto is a hot Italian rice meal. You start with a short, round rice, cook it slowly, and add hot soup a little at a time while you stir. The rice turns creamy on the outside but stays a little firm in the middle. People often mix in cheese, and they may add mushrooms, seafood, vegetables, or small pieces of meat. You eat it hot, usually as the main dish. Though actually, that creamy look does not come from pouring in a lot of cream; it comes from the rice letting out starch as you stir. It is not fried rice, and it is not just plain rice with cheese on top. Outside Italy, some cooks bake it in the oven or rush it, and some Italians will tell you that is not real risotto — but many home cooks still do it that way.