Saracen grain (one of the product names that will be discussed in this article) refers to the oldest crops grown by man. Some types of rice in many countries of the world have long been used to prepare delicious dishes (first, second, and even third) in national cuisines: pilaf, cereal, soup, drinks. From ancient times they also use it for the preparation of light and strong alcohol. Almost all types of rice have many properties that are beneficial for the human body, which allows people to eat it with confidence. And the variety of dishes that include this product in the kitchens of the peoples of the world - peremptorily testifies to this and confirms this fact.
Classification
What types of rice are most common? Let us turn to the exact sciences, which tell us that the varieties of this cereal, bred over the entire millennium of its cultivation, are in the hundreds. And from the point of view of the science of botany, rice species are represented by 20 names, but there are still more than 150 of its varieties and slightly less than 8 thousand agronomic varieties. How to classify all this rice to understand the variety presented?
How to distinguish
Rice is usually distinguished by color, by grain length, by the processing method to which it was subjected. Moreover, the same variety of rice may have different tastes, colors, aromas, nutritional properties in this regard. And in the color scheme, rice is represented not only by white shades. There are also red, purple, black, yellow rice.
Grain length
How many types of rice are there according to grading according to grain length? According to the size of the rice grain, its shape and length, delicious cereal can be divided into three large groups. Round (it is also called round-grain, or short-grain), medium-grain and long-grain rice. The types and properties of it in this context are also different. Let's consider in order.
Long grain
This type of rice is familiar to everyone, probably since childhood. Its grains are thin, oblong, sometimes reaching up to a centimeter in length. By color, we are used to seeing them transparent, brown or whitish. During culinary processing (usually cooking), they tend to absorb a minimal amount of water, as a result of which they are not subject to sticking and boiling, that is, they turn out friable at the exit. If we talk about the types of rice and their use in cooking, then this representative in the kitchen business is used very actively. Long-grain cereals are taken for salads, soups and stews, various kinds of appetizers, side dishes for meat dishes. It is popularized almost all over the world: in the East, in Europe, in America, in Australia. Its main distinguishing feature is hardness and friability. It is considered by cooks to be the most high-quality and useful of many types for cooking.
Medium grain
The grains are round, up to 6 millimeters long. They are less transparent. In the medium grain high starch content. Therefore, grains absorb more water during cooking, and at the exit - sticky, but not too sticky. By color, as a rule, white or brown. Mid-grain rice varieties are great for soups and cereals. Here are these varieties and types of rice and their use in cooking: for paella (variety Bahia), for the preparation of Italian risotto (variety Arborio or carnaroli). Experienced European chefs recommend undercooking them a bit to get a more crumbly and tasty result and a beautiful shape. These rice varieties are grown in America and Asia, Europe and Australia - everywhere.
Round grain
Grain grains are almost round in shape. In size they are smaller than their counterparts: up to 5 mm in length. Almost opaque, whitish. Kruglozerny perfectly stick together (here the highest content of starchy substances), therefore these varieties and types of rice for sushi are ideal. For the same reason, round-grain is recommended for children. This rice is good for making rice porridge. Back in the days of the USSR (and even now in many CIS countries), it was constantly included in the menu in preschool institutions. If you cook round-grain rice for a long time, it absorbs the maximum amount of liquid, boils and becomes reminiscent of a cream. In England, various desserts and puddings are prepared from such rice. They love round grain varieties in Japan. Here, traditionally round varieties are used to make sake, a rice hops drink.
Types of Rice Processing
But according to the processing method, rice can be classified as unpolished (it is also called brown), polished (white) and steamed (transparent). These types of rice and their use vary. We will briefly talk about each of them.
Unpolished
This is whole grain rice . It is processed to a minimum. At the same time, the bran shell is preserved, which are polished in other cases. It has a color scheme of brown shades and a slight nutty flavor (due to the left shell), a pronounced aroma and richness of taste. As a result of minimal processing, many nutrients are preserved: vitamins, trace elements, fiber, contained in the shell of grains. Therefore, traditionally brown rice is considered the most useful for consumption. From the healing properties: the ability to strengthen the immune system, have a beneficial effect on brain activity, improve digestion. In cooking, it takes much longer: it usually boils for up to forty minutes, but at the same time it does not boil, but retains friability. Its only drawback is the short shelf life. Therefore, cooked brown rice is recommended immediately to eat. And usually the same dishes are prepared from it as from white.
Sanded
Or all the usual white rice. This is the most common cereal in the world. It is obtained as a result of grinding grains, in which their shell is removed - bran. Grains become even, smooth, snow-white shade, slightly transparent. By the way, they can have any shape: round, long (see the previous classification) and can be of various agronomic varieties. Therefore, the appearance of white rice (as, indeed, brown) is a processing method. By analogy with sprats, for example, which are not a type of fish, but only its method of preparation. White rice grains are cooked for only ten or fifteen minutes maximum. They contain a lot of starchy substances (up to 70 percent), but, accordingly, not enough useful vitamins and minerals with minerals that are removed together with bran during deeper grain processing. No, of course, many useful things remain there, but, in essence, white rice is a refined product (akin to, for example, refined sugar). Although at the same time it is the most used product in our kitchens. It has a rather long shelf life and attracts a “popular” price, therefore, probably, it has gained such popularity among the population. It is from white rice that a great many dishes are cooked that are familiar in domestic cooking: from pilaf to sweet cereals with dried fruits.
Steamed
This is the name of rice that has undergone appropriate processing and has acquired a golden and translucent hue. At the beginning, the grains are washed, then sucked out in hot water, then subjected to steam treatment. And only then they are dried, polished and bleached. Steam treatment, as it were, transfers beneficial substances into the grains. It turns out that steamed rice is as useful in quality as brown, unprocessed. Unprepared rice usually has a hint of amber. But after cooking, this effect disappears, and rice takes on the usual white appearance. It cooks longer than white rice - about 20-25 minutes. Grains do not stick together, are tasty and crumbly. Today, this type of cook is gaining more and more popularity among cooks, as it preserves, unlike white, many useful substances.
Wild rice
Types of wild rice (or rather, its subspecies) are known in the amount of four. Moreover, three of them are immigrants from North America, and the fourth is from China. It has long been consumed by Indians, and in ancient China it was also ubiquitous, but was subsequently replaced by ordinary rice. Now wild rice (4 species) is cultivated only in the north of America and in China, and therefore it is not cheap. It has a light nutty flavor, a slightly sweet taste. Very useful: rich in minerals, protein, vitamins. Grains - brown or black, shiny and smooth. Cooked for quite a while: up to forty minutes. It is usually consumed by mixing with other types of rice. In terms of the ratio (given pic), types / calories, has the lowest rate among all the others. It is considered a naturally balanced product, which is why it is recommended for use by nutritionists and advocates of proper nutrition.
Popular varieties
As already mentioned, there are a huge number of varieties of this cereal. But traditionally, the elite are: basmati, camolino, jasmine, arborio, wild.
Basmati or "Thai" - long-grain rice, recognized by the world king of rice varieties. He has the longest grains in the world. They can reach up to 2 centimeters during cooking. Cultivated in India and Pakistan, recently - in the USA.
Jasmine is a white long-grain rice. Loose mi soft, with a delicate milky aroma. Cultivated in Southeast Asia. Great for preparing oriental dishes.
Arborio is grown in Italy, from which Italian and Spanish dishes are traditionally prepared. And in Japan - a special sticky rice for sushi.
For pilaf
The types of rice for pilaf that can be used in the preparation of this most popular dish in the post-Soviet space may be different. Experienced chefs advise taking the one that sticks the least during processing. Indeed, for good pilaf you need such a feature as friability. Therefore, long grain, brown, and steamed are suitable. But round-grain and medium-grain polished are not recommended to be taken: you risk getting rice porridge with meat instead of tasty dishes.