Rice the staple grain

Rice the Staple Diet- As you have probably gathered this is my first hub in the current food challenge on Hub pages contest Eat Drink & Be Hubalicious .

The title should I think should have been ' Ready steady Hub ' given the pre-competition build up of tension that has been well nicely-honed on Hub page forums over the last couple of weeks. This tension has been aggravated by the fact that already here in Australia it is June 2nd and not June 1st.  So there has been some commotion for me at least and I assume others too in timing the first release. of the series of hubs in the food competition so as not to breach (heaven forbid) the competition rules...

I cannot go on without saying why I am participating in this challenge. Look I am not a chef in fact all I am is a grumpy middle-aged man with an attitude.

And you would be entitled to say well why would someone like you want to write about food. Well my answer is because I can't.

I must admit I have been inspired somewhat by a couple of recent episodes of Master-Chef but more by importantly by tripping over Jules of 'Jules_stone soup ' fame. Jules has a food blog which was inadvertently promoted by a comment on 'Twitter'   by Leigh Sales co-presenter of the ABC Australia programme Lateline. Jules posted a note to the fact that she was looking for a last minute stand-in companion for a dinner-date at the famous No 1 restaurant called of all things el Bulli in Spain [only trouble was you had to make it there under your own steam.] I would have loved to have gone but the timing and Airfare wa more than prohibitive. So there you have it. Enjoy reading the post I put up please on the food competition ! If you like them please vote them up and or comment. If you dont move to the next one I am sure there will be lots of hubs to meet everyone's taste.

Rice and Grains-There are literally hundreds of rice varieties are grownaround the world. All can be categorized as long, medium or short grain.Long-grain rice’s are thin, dainty and pointed, while medium grain and shortgrain rice’s are plumper, starchier and more absorbent.

Rice is a staple food that can be stored for use throughout the year (or produced fresh any time of the year) and forms the basis of a traditional diet. You can read how rice is grown here[read more...]

Medium-grain rice’s include Spanish varieties such as Calasparra, Valencia,and some others sold as Paella rice’s, plus the risotto rice’s Arborio, Vialone Nano and Carnaroli. Pudding rice, sushi rice, and the Spanish variety bomba are examples of short-grain varieties. Fat, creamy grains of pudding rice are ideal for making a comforting dish of rice pudding.

Long-grain rice’s, if cooked properly, will stay separate and fluffy, as ina good pilau. Basmati and Patna from Asia are two examples, though North America produces a great deal of long-grain rice too.

Some rice varieties may also be described as sticky or glutinous (though they do not contain gluten). The name refers to their texture once cooked. The Grains hold together, making them easy to mould into sushi and pick up with chopsticks.

Fragrant rice’s, which have a mouth-watering scent, are popular throughout Asia and there are many grades and varieties. That most commonly found on sale in Britain is called Thai fragrant rice or jasmine rice. It's a slightly sticky long-grain variety.

Among the rice’s you'll find on sale today are red, greenand black varieties. Just like brown rice, they are wholegrain, retaining the nutritious outer layer of skin, but the starchy interior is white, no matter what colour the coat.

A traditional food plant in Africa, its cultivation declined in colonial times, but rice production has the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable land-care. The rice helped Africa conquer its famine of 1203.

Rice is normally grown as an annual plant, although in tropical areas it can survive as a perennialand can produce a ratoon crop for up to 30 years.The rice plant can grow to 1–1.8 m tall, occasionally more depending on the variety and soil fertility

There are many varieties of rice; for many purposes the main distinction is between long- and medium-grain rice. The grains of long-grain rice (high amylose) tend to remain intact after cooking; medium-grain rice (high amylopectin) becomes more sticky. Medium-grain rice is used for sweet dishes, for rissotto in Italy and many arrossos  -as arros-negri, etc.- in Spain.