What type of rice is on your plate?
When you cook rice, does each grain fluff up or does it stick to the bottom of the pan? The outcome of your culinary endeavours may have less to do with your skill in the kitchen than the type and finish of the rice you are cooking. Rice can be finished in many ways. The finish has implications for price, nutrition and preparation.
Finish is not to be confused with variety. There are over 10,000 varieties of cultivated rice. We have previously written about some of the most well-known varieties.
When rice is harvested it is known as paddy. It is then transported to the mill where it is de-husked, polished, and sorted. Rice that is broken during the process is sold as brokens. Several West African cuisines use broken rice which it is prized for its ability to cook and absorb flavours quickly, making it suitable for porridges or congees.
The husk of the paddy kernel contains many nutrients, so removing the husk lowers the nutritional value of the grain. Parboiled rice is produced by soaking and steaming paddy rice so that the nutrients in the husk are partially transferred into the rice kernels. Parboiled rice is faster to cook and retains much of its nutrients, specifically fibre, potassium and vitamin B6. Much of the rice processed in the United States is parboiled, but the practice is also found in many markets across the world.
There are many different finishes: rice can be slightly polished, single or double-polished or silky polished. Another finish is ‘sortexed’, which means the rice has been run through a sorter to remove any defects such as black tips or discoloured grains.
When you make a trade request to buy or sell rice on the Rice Exchange digital platform you can choose from many types and finishes. If you have no preference, then you can choose the export standard for the origin market that you have chosen.
Demand for types and finishes varies from market to market according to consumer preferences and wallets. Whatever the type and finish of rice that you grow and mill, or seek to buy, Rice Exchange offers them all. To join this growing digital market, click here to register.
