On Food and Cooking

than 100,000 distinct varieties of rice
throughout the world. They all fall into one of
two traditionally recognized subspecies of
Oryza sativa. Indica rices are generally grown
in lowland tropics and subtropics, accumulate
a large amount of amylose starch, and produce
a long, firm grain. Japonica rices, with upland
varieties that do well both in the tropics
(Indonesian and Filipino types sometimes
known as javanicas) and in temperate
climates (Japan, Korea, Italy, and California),
accumulate substantially less amylose starch
than the indicas, and produce a shorter,
stickier grain. There are also varieties that are
intermediate between indica and japonica.
Generally, the higher the amylose content in a
rice variety, the more organized and stable the
starch granules, and so the more water, heat,
and time it takes to cook the grains.
Most rice is milled to remove the bran and
most of the germ, and then “polished” with
fine wire brushes to grind away the aleurone