I tend to get questions about rice when our family gets together for dinner. Maybe this is because they all know I work in the rice business, or maybe I get these questions because we like to serve different kinds of rice. I find that in general, people are very interested in rice because there’s a certain amount of mystery behind it. We see white rice, brown rice, wild rice, rice that comes in various shapes, sizes and colors. We see rice used in almost every type of cuisine- Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mexican, Spanish- the list goes on and on. With all this diversity among rice, this leads me to my most frequently asked question: “What’s the difference between all these different kinds of rice?”
To begin, the vast majority of rice consumed in the United States is grown in the United States, so at least for today, let’s focus on U.S.- grown rice.
There are two main lineages of rice: Indica, which as the name suggests has history from India, and Japonica, which also as the name implies includes rice with a Japanese heritage. These two classifications of rice are fundamentally very different. To understand why, we must also understand rice starch. At its most elementary level, rice starch is composed of two things: Amylose (not sticky) and Amylopectin (sticky).
The majority of rice grown in the United States (not in California) are Indica varieties. They are typically a long, skinny grain with more Amylose and less Amylopectin. This is why the U.S. Long Grain rice many of us grew up with does not stick together. This rice is commonly used in traditional American rice dishes as well as Mexican dishes. (By the way- the single largest export market for U.S. Rice is Mexico.)
Japonica varieties, which encompass nearly all varieties grown in California, are shorter and wider with less Amylose and more Amylopectin. This is why California medium and short grain rice sticks together and is the preferred rice to use in Japanese and Korean dishes including sushi. There’s even a variety known as Sweet Rice, Mochi Rice or Waxy Rice (all different names for the same thing) that is 100 percent Amylopectin with no Amylose. This is extremely sticky and is commonly used for confectionary purposes like the outer cover on mochi ice cream.
The next question I inevitably get is: “With all these choices, what kind of rice should I buy?” The answer to that one is quite simple. All of them! Everyone’s palette is different and I strongly encourage people to buy several kinds of rice and try them all. With the enormous diversity and unrivaled quality of U.S. Rice, there will surely be one that will quickly become your favorite.
Brendan O’Donnell is Vice President, Sales at The Sun Valley Rice Company, LLC, which mills, packages and markets premium California rice both domestically and around the world. He is the Fifth generation of his family to be involved in California agriculture and has been marketing and promoting California rice since 2007. He is a graduate of UC Davis with a B.S. in Agricultural Systems and Environment and Communications. Brendan is also an active member of the Rice Leadership Development Program. When he’s not selling rice, Brendan enjoys golfing, skiing and spending time with his family. He and his wife, Erin have Two children, Bridget and Liam.
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