Native to China, today it is also cultivated in the provinces of Novara and Vercelli.
His name, dedicated to the Goddess of Love, comes from the fact that in ancient China was considered highly aphrodisiac. It belongs to the Japonica subspecies and is an aromatic rice, flavored with a hint of freshly baked bread and sandalwood, characteristic of oriental rices.

It is a rice that has a high content of fiber, phosphorus, iron, zinc and selenium. The most important feature of rice Venus is its high content of anthocyanins, plant substances capable of capturing free radicals and prevent oxidation.
Anthocyanins are the very components that give the rice its characteristic black Venus.
The color is natural because the pericarp, the outer skin, the color of ebony.

As with all whole grain rice cooking time is quite long.
It is used to prepare risotto and rice salad is a great accompaniment to meat and fish with a delicate flavor. is very decorative due to black skins covering the grain and which contrasts with the white of the interior of the grain.

The cooking time is 40-50 minutes.