For over half of the world's population, rice is a staple. Considering how little many of us know
about rice, that may sound like a pretty bland diet. But the fact is, with over 80,000 varieties of
rice in the world, the gastronomical possibilities are endless. To learn about the enticements of
rice, read on.

Brown, white, short, long, wild, cultivated...how many of the nearly 80,000 varieties of rice have
you tried?

If your diet has been limited to long grain white (with an occasional brown rice diversion) you've
certainly got more than a few treats in store from the world of rice. Learn about your options while picking up a few tidbits about the rice you already know and love.

Which has more nutrition? The answer may surprise you: both. For white rice (which is enriched brown rice without the bran, husk and germ) provides more thiamin and iron than brown rice, while brown rice provides slightly more fiber, vitamin E, phosphorus and calcium.

Long grain rice, such as basmati and jasmine, is more than three times as long as wide. Once
cooked the grains stay separate, light and fluffy. Medium grain rice (arborio and javonica) is
between two and three times as long as wide. When cooked, the grains become more moist than long grain with a bit of cling. Short grain rice (red rice and sticky rice) is less than twice as long as wide, it is creamier in texture and sticks together once cooked.

When it comes to choosing long vs. short grain rice for recipes, we recommend long grain for any recipe in which you need a light, separate grain. Use medium or short grain for rice croquettes, risotto and rice puddings.

Waxy rice absorbs less water when cooking. The result is a stickier, more glutinous rice (Chinese sticky rice and Thai rice). The grains of nonsticky rices (Carolina and basmati) remain separate after cooking.

The "King of Rice". A highly aromatic grain that is long and elegantly thin. Basmati has originated from Vasumati which means earth recognized by its fragrance; while the full exposition of the word is from Hindi.

Bas originating from Prakrit Vas which has a sanskrit root- Vasay connoting aroma; and mati from mayup meaning ingrained from the origin. Common usage has changed Vas to Bas while joining bas and mayup the latter changed to mati.. Thus the word Basmati originated.

Rice with a thin layer of black bran rather than the more common light brown. Under the bran is a white kernel. Varieties include Balinese, Chinese and Thai black rice.