Text 2109, 81 rader
Skriven 2010-09-27 08:59:04 av Lee Lofaso (3:800/432.0)
     Kommentar till en text av Glen Jamieson
Ärende: Rice  00923
===================
Hello Glen,

>RH>I've always wondered if anyone ever eats fresh rice; rice
>RH>as it's picked and before it's dried.

>GJ>Hmmm.  As far as I know rice, like wheat, is always allowed to
>GJ>dry in the rice-fields before harvesting.  Then it is husked
>GJ>and goes straight into the rice mill for polishing, then
>GJ>bagging.  I suppose it would be possible to reap the rice while
>GJ>it is still green, but husking would be a lot more difficult.

>JW>Rice is never harvested green. But as it ripens in the fall it dries
>JW>out while on the stalk. Wheat harvested in cool climates sometimes
>JW>has to be harvested early to avoid frost and requires additional
>JW>drying after harvesting to get the moisture level down to a level
>JW>where it will be preserved without molding. Rice, I don't know.

GJ>How is it dried?  Is it dried before, or after threshing?

A light green color means the grain was harvested prematurely.
There are many different ways of drying rice.  One way is to simply
let the grain dry out in the sun.  But that takes time.  And the hope
that it does not rain.

>JW>But I do now that freshly harvested rice is moister than aged rice.
>JW>Rice is harvested in the fall and the grains gradually lose their
>JW>moisture during the course of the year, so they are their driest at
>JW>the end of the next summer. When cooking rice, the Japanese use a
>JW>water-to-raw-rice ratio of 1:1 in the fall, 1.25:1 in the winter and
>JW>1.5:1 the following summer.

GJ>My Australian rice comes in sealed plastic bags, so has uniform
GJ>dryness throughout the year.  In the Philippines it comes in woven
GJ>bags of 25 kg, but the ratio of rice to water when cooking is not
GJ>changed.  Rice is grown continuously, as there is no significant
GJ>climate change.  In fertile tropical areas 3 crops of rice per year
GJ>can be grown.

As long as a bag of rice is kept in a cool, dark place, raised up from
the floor, it should keep well.  Sacks up to 25 to 50 pounds are good.
The ratio of water to rice varies depending on many different factors.
Not just the size of the grain, but also the type of rice, and how
that rice is intended to be served.  Not to mention the cooking method.

>JW>In my cold arid climate my rice (and flour) really dries out in the
>JW>winter (I go as high as 1.75:1) and re-absorbs some moisture in the
>JW>summer (and I back off to 1.5:1 again.)

GJ>Wouldn't it be easier to keep your rice in a sealed container, so that
GJ>you don't have to consult your calendar and hygrometer before cooking?

That may be a good idea in areas such as Louisiana, which has a hot and
humid climate, but might not be necessary or desired everywhere.

>JW>In Japan new fall rice is highly esteemed. It is called Shinmai and
>JW>is said to be soft, smell wonderful and have a hint of sweetness
>JW>after you cook it. I've never had the opportunity to taste it; it
>JW>is never exported.

GJ>A Japanese parliamentarian speaking in support of the expensive,
GJ>subsidised local rice farming once claimed that Japanese stomachs were
GJ>genetically attuned to only digest Japanese rice, and any imported
GJ>rice would make them sick.  Since then, Japanese style rice has been
GJ>grown in Australia for export to Japan.  It can also be bought here,
GJ>mainly for use by Japanese sushi restaurants.

If only the Japanese people knew the truth.  Filipinos had no
problem eating Louisiana rice in the Philippines, even after learning
rice from Louisiana had been being imported into the Philippines for
decades.  If you'll note, rice grown in the Philippines and rice grown
in Louisiana is virtually identical.  However, rice grown in China is
very different, being much larger, about the size of red beans. Which
explains why Chinese are so adept at using chopsticks...

--Lee


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