Humans
started eating rice over 5000 years ago. It is the second-largest crop grown worldwide
after maize (corn). People all over the world eat it and in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America, it is considered their premier nutritional source.
Therefore, every cook, food lover, and Foodie should know something about it.
There are
forty thousand varieties of CULTURED rice in the world, but over ninety
thousand stored in the International Rice Gene Bank of the International Rice
Research Institute with headquarters in Los Banos, Philippines, and offices in
17 other rice-growing countries.
Rice is a
whole grain (or kernel) containing bran, the germ, and endosperm. The endosperm
is the energy source which makes up 83% of the whole grain. It provides energy
for the young plant so that it can send down roots to supply the growing plant
with nutrients and water. If you remove
the outer hull, the bran, and the germ, you are left with a white kernel - white
rice. This is what is sold as white rice. Since much of the nutritional content
of the white rice kernel is lost in the preparation process, in many cases, vitamins
are added to make up for this loss. This gives you “enriched” white rice. Colored
rice which has its inedible hull removed but retains both the bran and germ,
while they take longer to cook, are more nutritious. See below.
Rice is
frequently categorized by its size: long, medium, or short.
Long grain
rice is 3 - 4 times as long as its width. Examples are Jasmine and Basmati
which are commonly used in Asian, Indian, and Latin American cooking.
Medium grain
rice kernels are shorter; 2 -3 length compared to width. Arborio, Carnaroli and
Vialoni nana for Risotto, Bomba for Paella, and sushi rice are examples of medium
rice.
Short grained
rice is squat, almost round and can be used interchangeably with medium grains
for risotto or rice pudding.
How rice
differs in its texture when cooked is determined by the amount of the two
starches - amylose and amylopectin - that are contained in the rice.
Long grain
rice has more amylose and, because of this, stays fluffy and separate when
cooked.
Medium and short-grained rice is higher in
the “sticky starch” amylopectin, so they cook up moist and clingy.
Long grain
white rice should be washed before cooking to remove excess starch on the
outside of the kernel. This will make the rice less sticky and give you
fluffier and more individual kernels. However, if you are using vitamin/mineral
added (enriched) rice (most U.S white rice) you may be washing away some of the
nutrients applied to the kernels. THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
OTHERS
Glutinous (Sweet
or Sticky) rice contains only amylopectin and it turns super – sticky when cooked,
often by steaming. Many Asian dishes, both sweet and savory call for this type
of rice.
Wild rice is
not a rice, but an aquatic grass largely grown in California and Minnesota
which, as brown and other whole grain rice, is very nutritious.
Instant rice
is fully precooked and dehydrated rice that recooks very quickly.
Parboiled
rice (e.g. Uncle Ben’s) is rice that has been soaked and steamed before the
outer hull is removed. By this process nutrients, which otherwise would be lost,
are absorbed and retained. The parboiling partially cooks the grain's starch so
that the cooked kernels are fluffy but firm.
COLORED
RICES
Brown rice
undergoes minimal processing, thus, most of its nutrients; protein, fiber and healthy
Bran is retained. Because of the oil in the bran, however, its shelf life
compared to white rice - three to five years to forever - is only six months.
Black or
Purple rice, which derives their color from several chemical substances in the inner portion of the bran, add protective antioxidant properties in addition to
the other nutrients in their whole-grain rice kernels.
Red rice is
a special variety of rice, deriving its rich, red color due to its containing two,
color-producing phytochemicals called anthocyanins. These pigment-producing
components add protective antioxidant and anticarcinogenic activities, in
addition to the nutrient contents of the whole grain rice kernel, making red rice
the most nutritious of all the different rice.
With this
information in mind, choose the rice of your preference, cook it using your
favorite recipe and ENJOY!
