When it comes to the choice of rice species, southerners and northerners have different preferences. From my observations, northerners seem to prefer japonica rice, while southerners prefer indica rice.
But the funny thing is that my parents' choice did not follow this rule, but quite the opposite, which made me very interested in the argument between the two kinds of rice.
It wasn't until recently that I found out that japonica rice wasn't necessarily what I thought of as "stem rice" because my parents were illiterate, so every time I asked me to buy rice for them, they would ask me if it was Indica or "stem rice". But this is very puzzling to me, because I have always eaten japonica rice since I was a child. So I decided to ask my parents about the truth.
What exactly is the "stem rice" in the mouth of parents?
In fact, the "stem rice" in my parents' mouth is not actually a rice variety, but a misreading caused by a lack of understanding of Chinese characters. In my hometown, there was a rice merchant who told my father that japonica rice was called "stalk rice". This made my father think that "stem rice" was returned to its original owner, so he brought this title home.
Since my mother is illiterate, except for being able to read some simple pinyin, every time I go to buy rice, my father will remind me to buy indica rice or "stem rice". I vaguely remember that there were red words on the rice bag, but I couldn't tell whether it was "japonica rice" or "stem rice", but now I know that my parents used to be a kind of rice called "japonica rice".
My family usually doesn't like to eat glutinous rice, only in autumn and winter will occasionally steam some zongzi to eat, so our family's eating habits are still relatively healthy, and even we rarely go to the market to buy rice or glutinous rice, but on some occasions will buy relatively dry glutinous rice balls, and only when it comes to the New Year will we eat some serious glutinous rice balls.
And even if it is this glutinous rice ball, we will not eat it directly with our mouths like some people, but will hold it with our hands and beat it, so that it will be easier to digest.
Because glutinous rice not only contains a lot of starch, but also has less fiber, it is very difficult to digest, so we often soak it in water before eating.
Although japonica rice is large and viscous, it contains less starch and energy consumption, making it a very easy food to digest, so we can eat more than three bowls in one meal.
But there are many people who don't know the difference between japonica rice and glutinous rice, sometimes seeing that we have to soak glutinous rice in water to eat, they feel that japonica rice is the same, so we have to repeat to everyone every day: "Glutinous rice should be soaked, japonica rice should not be soaked!" Moreover, the most common edible rice in most households is often rice, but we cannot say that japonica rice is the best.
There are also some families who may not eat these two types of rice at all, and in their opinion, these two carbohydrates are too refined and not good for health, so it is necessary to understand the difference between the two types of rice. First of all, indica rice, also known as stem rice or steamed rice, is a rice variety, mainly grown in the southern region, at the same time, it is also opposite to japonica rice, known as japonica rice, indica rice mainly grows in the subtropical monsoon climate.
Therefore, indica rice is more tolerant to temperature and humidity than japonica rice, and indica rice is suitable for cultivation in plain areas at lower altitudes, while japonica rice is suitable for high altitude or wetland environments.
There are three main types of indica: long-grain, short-grain, and medium-grain. Commonly found in South America and Southeast Asia, and also found in North America and parts of India, this type of indica rice is long and thin, making it suitable for snacks such as fried rice and bibimbap.
Short-grain indica rice is mainly distributed in East Asia, such as China, Japan and other countries, it has a special aroma, is the main raw material for making sushi, pancakes and other foods.
Medium-grain indica rice is widely distributed all over the world, including China, Southeast Asia, South America and other places. This type of indica rice can be processed into a variety of foods, such as boiled rice, dusty rice, etc., and is a very important food crop.
What is the biggest difference in taste between indica and japonica rice?
Moreover, indica rice has more significant characteristics than ordinary rice: it is rich in daidzein, which can not only improve the nutritional value of indica rice, but also has higher viscosity than ordinary rice.
In addition, indica rice is more adaptable than ordinary rice corn and can be grown in more different environmental conditions, so the yield is higher.
However, because of its less water content, Indica rice has a looser texture after cooking, is less sticky, and tends to form a dry, less pronounced texture on the surface when cooked.
This characteristic makes Indica rice most suitable for stir-fried foods, such as fried rice and fried kueh, and is best used in soups with other ingredients, so it is too light to eat directly when cooked into rice.
And because the indica rice particles are smaller and the surface is harder, it appears to be harder in taste and always gives people a crunchy feeling, so it is not only loose after making a meal, but also a little hard in taste.
It is precisely because of this characteristic that some farmers in the Northeast even think that eating white noodles is not as good as eating the big ones in the Northeast, you must know that the people in the Northeast are very strict about the taste of the problem, and the requirements for this problem are also very high.
It can be seen that indica rice is not suitable for cooking and eating directly, so southerners do not need to worry about whether they choose japonica rice or indica rice, because they live in an environment where indica rice is often more colorful than japonica rice, but the grains must contain a kind of grasses, that is, it cannot be a sticky millet, sweet potato or yam tuber plant.
Because these crops are not only not a staple food, but also tend to cause digestive problems such as diarrhea to people, and can also lead to food safety issues such as insufficient nutritional value, these crops are not a good variety, so they are not suitable for selection as a staple food.
If these grains and grains are treated in the same way and processed as food, it may also affect food hygiene and safety, and cause harm to our health.
Therefore, many families eat them as a staple food, but it is important to pay attention to the right combination of them so that they can perform their due effects.
Therefore, even if people in the Northeast prefer to eat indica rice, almost no family in the northern region will use it as a staple food just because they think that indica rice is very convenient to store and very cost-effective, so they have been sticking to their original diet structure unwaveringly.
Is Indica rice related to the food culture behind it?
In fact, not only Chinese, even many Asian countries have their own different food cultures before reunification, it is difficult to say which materials must be used to make some delicious dishes, although in China Shaanxi people love to eat sweet potatoes, Shanxi people love to eat knife noodles, Northeast people love to eat pies, etc., but who among them said that they must eat only one food crop?
Therefore, in terms of food culture, we don't need to forcibly unify it, otherwise even if someone really wants to, they won't have so much business to manage the eating habits of everyone in the country, right?
Therefore, each place has its own unique special food, no need to unify the tableware, as long as we know the reasons behind these phenomena and scientific and reasonable matching, we can balance the absorption of nutrients!
In addition, mixing different rice is also a very good solution, such as making steamed cakes from millet into sticky grains, which can improve the softness and toughness of the dish, and at the same time improve the color and flavor of the steamed cakes, but it should be noted that the millet should be washed before being added, which can effectively reduce the saccharification amylase activity reaction of golden soybean milk, thereby reducing the level of glucomycotoxins.
This not only improves the practicality, but also effectively reduces the level of glucomycotoxins and makes the crop more colorful, so people may wish to try this combination!
However, there are also many places where a variety of fresh vegetables are added to ice cream, bread and juice, and although this combination is relatively novel, few people are willing to accept it, otherwise it would have been made long ago.