Rice is an ingredient that is used worldwide. It is used in various dishes such as sushi, pilaf, risotto, nasi goring, jambalaya, and bibimbap. The rice used in these dishes can be divided into three different categories. They are japonica rice, indica rice, and japanica rice.

The japonica rice is mainly produced in Japan, the Korean peninsula, and the northeast area of China. Its shape is round and when steamed, it gets sticky and shiny. The rice served in Japan is this japonica rice. The indica rice is produced in India, Thai, Vietnam, and central area of China. It is log shaped, has dry texture, and best suiting when used in curry or fried rice. This indica rice is the most produced rice in the world. The japanica rice is produced in Java, Italy, and Africa. It is very large compared to others, and has fresh flavor and has sticky texture. Also, with the starch structure of the rice, the three rice types specified above can be divided into non-glutinous rice and glutinous rice.

When the non-glutinous rice is processed, it becomes shiny and semi-transparent. So the rice mainly people eat in Japan is the non-glutinous japonica rice. Even if the glutinous rice is processed, it still remains white and in Japan, it is used in rice cake or red bean rice. The difference between these two types of rice is the structure of the starch. Again, depending on its processing stage, the rice can be divided into three categories: brown rice, germ rice, and white rice. Brown rice is processed by taking the rice ear off of the paddy. It is highly nutritious because it contains rice bran and germ. It contains vitamin B1, B2, E, minerals, and fiber. It does not get digested well so it needs to be chewed well.

During the Edo period, the era of the fifth shogunate Tsunayoshi, there was a wide spread disease that is believed to be caused by the rice. Until then, Japanese used to eat brown rice but during the era of Tsunayoshi, they began to eat processed white rice, so they lacked the necessary vitamin B1. In addition to these types of rice, there is the germinated brown rice. By germinating the rice, the substance necessary to germinate is increased within the rice. This means that this rice has higher nutritional value than the brown rice.

When the brown rice is processed, it is called the white rice, but for the rice that is processed so that more than eighty percent of the germ remains is called the germ rice. The germ rice is nutritionally almost same as brown rice and it doesn’t have any peculiar accent so it’s easy to eat. The white rice is the least nutritious, but it tastes the best.