Rice is great if you’re really hungry and want to eat two thousand of something. Mitch Helberg
I personally think rice is always great, and this quote makes me want to see how many grains I can get on my next forkful. Not everyone agrees, and there are naysayers who wish we would change our eating habits. I mean, can’t we at least make it brown rice instead of rice? No.
We’ll get into the pros and cons, but first things first.
First, the origin story, in brief
And once again, the origin was in Asia, according to the Rice Association. We don’t know if it was first cultivated in China, India, or Thailand, but we do know it predates 4500 B.C. Credit goes to China for the first written record of consuming rice, and that was more than 6500 years ago.
Travelers to those faraway lands carried the plants back home with them, and some of us are lucky enough to have receptive climates for those crops. Rice can’t grow in Britain, but we do produce some in the U.S. Nonetheless, 90% of the worldwide production is still in Asian countries.
Rice classifications
This topic is incredibly complicated, but I’m going to simplify it by focusing on two major components. I’ll leave the rest for you to pursue at your leisure. Or not. One facet is the grain length, and the other consists of flavor options. Here’s the skinny for U.S. production, based on info from USA Rice:
- Grain size:
- Long – lighter and fluffier than shorter varieties. It grows in AR, CA, FL, LA, MS, MO, & TX.
- Medium – sticks together more than the longer grains. The growing states are the same as Long, except for the absence of MS and TX.
- Short – even stickier than Medium. Grows in AR and CA.
- Flavors (abbreviated version)
- Jasmine – aromatic, long grain, yet a little sticky. Often used in Thai cuisine.
- Basmati – aromatic, also long-grained. Often used in Indian and Mediterranean recipes.
- Arborio – medium grain and produces a creamier texture than Jasmine or Basmati. Used in risotto and desserts. Oddly enough, its protein content is higher than either Jasmine or Basmati. Go figure.
But, of course, food preferences are highly subjective. Let’s go there after tiptoeing through the fun facts.
Rice Fun Facts
- There are over 120,000 varieties of rice, each with different flavors and levels of nutrients and starch. White rice is still the most widely consumed. (Freerice)
- Rice is an ingredient in facial masks and exfoliators. (Freerice)
- Not all rice grows in flooded fields. Some varieties thrive in dry conditions. (Freerice)
- Gyudon” is a dish made with thinly sliced beef and finely chopped green onions. It’s prepared by making a divot in the middle for a semi-raw egg. My nephew, Gabe, thinks it’s delicious. Probably nothing I would try, but some of you may be salivating.
- Gyu means meat in Japanese and any dish that’s on rice has “don” as a suffix. That is, you can have eel or chicken on “don”. (Gabe again.)
- A “rice ball” is essentially a triangle of sticky rice with a strip of seaweed on the outside, with selected fillings. This dish was the basis for Hawaii’s Musubi. (And Gabe again.)
- Rice plants are prone to absorbing more arsenic than other plants, and the levels will vary with the geography. (Healthline)
- Wild rice is not rice, but a semi-aquatic grass. It is whole grain, though. (USA Rice)
- Reheating rice can result in food poisoning if improperly stored, or if it isn’t reheated to at least 165°. Cool leftovers rapidly and refrigerate within 2 hours. Eat reheated rice immediately. (Medicine News Today)
From a source far, far from U.S. tastes
Some of us in these parts are a mite particular when it comes to barbeque and pecan pie. I know this. The same is true for rice preferences. Gabe has close personal ties to Japan, and here’s input from that camp, summarized to some degree.
- Short grain is preferred, and the more similar to the Japanese version, the better.
- The smell of rice can be nauseating to some Asian diners if it’s the wrong variety. They might prefer rice with an understated aroma. I understand nuances. I feel the same aversion when it comes to sweet cornbread.
- Preparation is key to those who know their rice. It should always be rinsed three times. Otherwise, the rice dust that coats it will spoil the texture. That is, it might be gooey, and that is to be avoided if at all possible.
If you have traveled to other countries, you understand that your favorite foods prepared here, with U.S. ingredients/spices, will not be duplicated elsewhere. Managing your expectations is always wise.
Slightly off-topic, but the rice cookers available in the U.S. are much less sophisticated than those used in Japan. Theirs have settings that suit a greater variety of grains and types of recipes, per Yummy. Who knew?
So is rice "bad" food?
Is that a thing? I mean, is any food bad? I’m only half joking, but it’s a valid question when it comes to rice.
While white [processed] rice is generally considered less healthy than brown [whole grain] it does have added nutrients, such as iron and B vitamins. Also, its lower fiber content might be a better choice for individuals who have problems with a high fiber diet. That said, brown rice is better for our hearts, for people with diabetes, and those at risk of developing it. Of course, there are also a number of us who are watching the scales. Sadly, brown rice is the better option for us, too. I’ll just eat less of the white stuff instead.
Consider this, though. Japanese eat rice at a much higher rate than we do, yet they appear to be much healthier, in general. Why is that? I arrived at my conclusions below based on a Business Insider article. I encourage you to read it for yourself, but here’s my takeaway.
- The U.S. population is much more inclined to eat processed food and/or to eat out, which amounts to the same thing. Also, our portions are ridiculously large and we just lay into it, not necessarily putting the fork down when we really have had enough. More than that, though, is the composition.
- Japanese diners are more likely to be satisfied with smaller portions, but equally important is what they’re eating in addition to the rice. They’re into plant-based protein and fish.
We are into potatoes, pasta, and red meat. All told, I don’t think it’s the rice doing us in. It’s the monster servings, the sides, and the beef. Will I change how I eat? Maybe. A little, anyway. What I know now that I didn’t know before is at least food for thought. Pun intended.
I never ate rice growing up. We were a meat and potatoes family. I wish I had learned to love it early but I do love it now. Laura Derr
Same here. I do love it now, but don’t eat it often–usually at Chipotle. 😉
it is difficult to wrap your mind around how important rice is as an energy source for over half of the world’s population.World wide rice provides 20% of the nutrition. In the US we grow up knowing about rice but clueless as to its significance. Most of rice consumption and production is in Asia. I find myself traveling Indonesia periodically where the density of people is overwhelming. Rice feeds them. Pretty much every square foot there not occupied by people is growing rice.
I didn’t realize until I watched the video how much trouble the process is. Sheesh.
I love restaurant and boxes (rice-a-roni) rice, but can’t seem to fix it in a tasty way myself. I’ll be much more thorough in my reheating rice in the future; thanks in advance for saving my life! 😁
You’re welcome, and I’m glad I researched it. I had no idea about the bacteria thing until a friend mentioned it last week. Who knew?
I live in an Assisted Living Facility. We have rice at least 4 times each week and and with your help i truly appreciate it on the menu much more. I never knew the steps it took getting it to my table. Arkansas was about 100 miles from where i was raised but it was never served in my home. The method it is cooked makes it more appealing. The video was a learning experience.
It does look like a crazy amount of work!