Rice is one of the most important staple foods in the world, providing nourishment for billions of people. There are many different types of rice grown all over the world, but two of the most common varieties are long grain white rice and medium grain rice.
What is Good Rice?
Good rice refers to rice that meets certain quality standards. It has several desirable characteristics that make it preferable for consumption and cooking purposes:
- Uniform grains – The rice grains should be relatively uniform in size and shape. This helps with even cooking.
- Minimal broken grains – Good rice contains very few broken pieces from the milling process. Broken grains don’t hold up well during cooking.
- Pleasant aroma – Fresh, good quality rice has a subtle grassy or nutty aroma.
- Good shelf life – When stored properly, good rice will remain fresh and retain its qualities for 12 months or longer.
- Absence of discoloration – The rice grains should have a consistent, bright color without any dullness, yellowing or spotting.
- Optimal starch content – Good rice has the right balance of starch content to result in fluffy, separated grains when cooked.
These characteristics are achieved through careful growing, harvesting, milling, and storage practices. High quality rice varieties that are less prone to breaking are also preferred. When searching for good rice in stores, consumers should inspect the grains to check for broken pieces, musty odors, or dull color.
What is Gather Rice?
Gather rice is a type of rice that is characterized by its medium grain size. The individual grains are shorter and wider compared to long grain varieties. When cooked, the grains of medium or short grain rice tend to stick together more than long grain rice.
Some common examples of gather or medium grain rice varieties include:
- Arborio rice – Used to make risotto, known for its high starch content
- Jasmine rice – Aromatic and slightly sticky when cooked
- Calrose rice – Soft, sticky grains perfect for sushi
- Valencia rice – Spanish medium grain rice used in paella
- Sushi rice – A Japanese short grain rice seasoned with vinegar
The name “gather rice” refers to how the cooked grains clump together more than long grain rice due to their higher starch content. This makes medium grain rice ideal for dishes like risotto, rice pudding, and sushi where you want the rice to stick together and have a creamy texture.
Where is Rice Grown?
Rice is grown all over the world, as it can thrive in many different climates and environments. Some of the top rice producing countries include:
| Country | Annual Rice Production |
|---|---|
| China | 212 million tonnes |
| India | 170 million tonnes |
| Indonesia | 82 million tonnes |
| Bangladesh | 52 million tonnes |
| Vietnam | 44 million tonnes |
| Thailand | 37 million tonnes |
| Myanmar | 35 million tonnes |
| Philippines | 19 million tonnes |
| Brazil | 12 million tonnes |
| United States | 11 million tonnes |
The top rice producers are located in Asia, which accounts for over 90% of global production. China and India alone produce close to 50% of the world’s rice supply. Other major rice producers include the rice farming regions of Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
Outside of Asia, Brazil and the United States also contribute significant quantities of rice each year. Within the U.S., the states with the highest rice output are Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas.
Rice Growing Conditions
There are four main types of rice cultivation:
- Irrigated rice – Grown in fields with controlled irrigation. This allows multiple crops per year and higher yields. About 75% of the world’s rice is irrigated.
- Rainfed lowland rice – Relies on rainfall rather than irrigation. Common in monsoon climate areas like Southeast Asia.
- Rainfed upland rice – Grown in hilly or mountainous regions without irrigation. Accounts for about 4% of rice production globally.
- Flood-prone rice – Grown in low-lying delta regions that flood periodically, like the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
Rice requires warm temperatures, abundant water, and nutritious soil to achieve optimal growth and grain development. Sunlight and airflow are also important. Rice grown organically relies solely on natural fertilizers like compost rather than synthetic chemicals.
How is Rice Harvested?
The process of rice harvesting involves carefully timing cutting the ripe plants, drying and threshing the grains, and cleaning/processing for storage and distribution. Here is an overview of rice harvesting steps:
- Determining ripeness – Farmers monitor fields closely as harvest approaches, checking grain maturity. Rice kernels change color and harden when ripe.
- Cutting – Plants are cut close to the ground, often by hand with sickles but also via mechanized cutters. Cutting must be timely to minimize grain loss.
- Drying – Cut plants are allowed to dry out in the sun for a period of time before grains are removed.
- Threshing – The process of separating the grain from the stalks. May be done by hand beating or via machine threshers.
- Winnowing – The threshed mixture of grain and chaff is poured into the air to allow wind to blow away the lighter chaff while the grains fall back down.
- Milling – The outer hulls and bran layers are removed from the grains using friction and abrasion.
- Polishing – Grains are polished to remove the bran layer and produce white rice.
- Bagging and distribution – The finished rice is weighed, bagged, and distributed to stores.
Proper post-harvest handling like drying, milling, and storage helps maintain the quality and nutritional value of rice. Freshly harvested rice has higher moisture content and requires careful drying.
From Paddy to Plate
The journey rice takes from the paddy fields to your dinner plate depends on the degree of processing:
Brown Rice
Brown rice undergoes dehusking to remove the outermost hull but maintains the nutritious bran and germ layers. It skips the polishing step, resulting in a light brown grain.
White Rice
removing both the hull and bran layers result in polished white grains. The extra milling increases shelf life but strips away much of the natural nutrition in rice.
Parboiled Rice
Parboiling rice before milling helps rice grains remain separate when cooked. The grains undergo partial boiling and then drying before going through normal milling processes.
Instant and Precooked Rice
These types of rice are precooked and dehydrated after milling. This causes the grains to cook more rapidly when water is added.
Rice is packed and shipped in bulk to various retailers after milling and processing. Proper storage and transportation helps maintain freshness and prevent spoilage or contamination.
Conclusion
In summary, most of the world’s rice supply comes from Asia where rice cultivation traces back thousands of years. The major rice producers include China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Thailand. Rice can thrive in different environments but requires ample water and warm growing seasons. Careful harvesting, drying, milling, and storage after the growing season helps preserve the quality and edibility of rice. Further processing like parboiling or precooking improves the ease of preparation while stripping some nutritional value. So the journey from paddy field to dinner table depends on the degree of milling and processing based on the desired rice type and characteristics.