RICE – No 1 in the world

Rice is the most important world wide food, which comes from the grass family. It is nutritious and simple to prepare, as well as convenient for various types of recipes.

There are over 40,000 types of rice cultivated in the world, however if we were to divide them overall, we would split between long grain rice, medium grain rice and short grain rice (also known as round rice).

All of these are of equal nutritional value and are differentiated by the texture, appearance and taste.

Wild rice is yet another type of rice, but this type is considered a seed of the aquatic grass.

In some languages the meaning of "eat" actually means to "eat rice". In Chinese language the word "rice" and "food" is actually marked by the same word: "shi fan" and in Thai this is called "Kin khao".

Rice is considered long grain, when each grain is 4-5 times longer than its width. The most popular are aromatic types of rice, such as Thai type called Jasmin, and Indian type called Basmati.

Aromatic rice has similar taste to that of roasted hazelnuts or popcorn.

Basmati is grown in India and Pakistan, and it is quite interesting to know, that when cooked the rice grains grow longer instead of thicker. This is quite uncommon, as most of the other rice types grow thicker when cooked.

Basmati rice is ideal for preparation of Indian dishes and most often it is served with curry.

Thai rice, also known as Jasmin, is very delicate in texture and in taste, quite similar to Basmati.

Medium grain rice is somewhat rounder than long grain, and juicier. It is quite popular in some Asian countries and Latino American coultures. Often, it is used for preparation of creamy deserts and puddings.

Well known Italian rice called Arborio and Carnaroli are also considered as medium grain rice. Arborio rice is favourable for rissoto preparation, as well as often being used for preparation of delicious puddings.

Short gran rice is nearly a round shaped grain, full of starch and when cooked it becomes sticky. This is why it is suitable for eating with chopsticks or hands. Most commonly it is used in preparation of various recipes such as rissoto, paella and pilav.

Sambal rice, which is grown in China and southeast Asia, and Japanese sticky rice, used in preparation of Sushi, also belong to the short rice grain family.

Japanese sweet rice is especially sticky and when cooked it becomes clear and so this makes it perfect for creation of dumplings, which are made using a mould, such as Japanese mochi.

The rice available to us in stores, is either integral dark or refined white. Even though it is dark in colour, it contains more fibre, vitamin E, phosphor and calcium, while the white rice is a good source of vitamin B, iron, phosphor and magnesium.

Rice around the world

More than 3 milion people share the tradition and culture of consuming rice. In far country side of Asia one handfull of rice is appreciated equally as one small lump of gold.

Some civilisations honour the rice as divinity: such as Mae Posop in Tailand, Tisnawati in Indonesia, Inkapati in Philippines, Ninigino-mikota in Japan or Annapurna in India.

In many coultures the rice is a symbol of fertility.

In Japan rice is considered to be the heart of the entire coulture.

Along the river Senegal in Western Africa, the farmers prepare special rice recipes, in the honour of their arriving guests.

The biggest part of the world rice production, which is about 90%, takes place in China. Mainly because the rice prospers best in a warm climate with plenty of precipitation.

Wherever the rice may grow, in the deltas and valleys of Asian rivers, on the slopes of Himalayas, in African rainforests or in the dry fields of midle east (the only place where the rice does not grow is Antarctica), rice represents a big part of life, it represents food, celebration, way of life.

Even in parts of the world where rice growing does not hold such importance or tradition, it is readily consumed and accepted as a crucial ingredient.

Americans and Europeans mainly consume rice as grains, most often as a side dish or accompaniment to a main meal. While in other parts of the world rice is consumed as a main meal.

The biggest exporter of rice is North America, even though they represent only 2% of the total rice world production. This just shows the big difference in consumption of rice between America and for example, China.