Instructions: AROMATIC RICE: The term given to varieties of rice with a pronounced nutty flavor and aroma often compared to popping corn. Some popular brands are Texmati, Konriko, Wild Pecan Rice, Uncle Bens Aromatic, Jasmine, and Ellis Stansels Popcorn Rice.

BASMATI RICE: A type of aromatic rice. Many varieties are grown mostly in India and Pakistan. It is renowned for its long slender shape that elongates rather than expands in width when cooked. Although the Indian people eat rice at least once a day, basmati rice is a high-quality luxury food eaten only on special occasions.

BROWN RICE: Rice with the hull removed and the bran layers left clinging to the grains. The color is tan, and the flavor is nutty with a chewy texture. It is slightly more nutritious than enriched white rice, with twice as much flavor, five times the vitamin E, and three times the magnesium. (Enriched white rice has more iron and thiamine). Available as long-, medium-, and short-grain rice.

GLUTINOUS RICE: Also known as sticky, waxy, or sweet rice; most often used in desserts. Grains are either round or long and have a high percentage of amylopectin, the starch that makes the grains stick together when they are cooked.

ITALIAN RICE: Arborio, Vialone nano, Carnaroli, and Padano are the most popular rices grown in the Piedmont and Lombardy regions of Italy. Technically they are medium-grain and cook firm to the bite or al dente. They are used to make risotto.

LONG-GRAIN RICE: Considered long-grain if it is three or more times as long as it is wide. It is higher in the starch amylose; therefore, the grains cook separate and fluffy. Carolina, aromatic basmati, and their brown counterparts are all in this broad category.

MEDIUM-GRAIN RICE: Rice varieties that are less than two times as long as they are wide. This rice is high in the starch amylopectin, and the grains cook moist and tender and with a slight stickiness. The rices grown in Italy and Spain are medium-grain.

SHORT-GRAIN RICE: Considered short-grain if the length is less than two times its width. The cooked rice is softer and stickier than medium-grain rice when it is cooked. In Japan it is known as Sushi rice.

WEHANI RICE: A brown rice with a rust-brown bran layer that partially splits when the rice is cooked, giving each kernel an appearance similar to that of a cooked kernel of wild rice. It is considered an aromatic rice and related to basmati.

RICE, THE AMAZING GRAIN by Marie Simmons

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