Rice Berry: Asia’s Next Super Grain and Integral Part of the Asian Diet
When living or visiting Asian countries, rich history, unique culture, amazing tourist spots, religion, and the people itself are among the things you need to expect. Besides, you can also explore the food and how Asians maintain good health and lifestyle.
Have you heard about rice berry? If you are now staying in some of the Asian countries, you might be already experiencing the latest hype in the Asian diet. Many consider rice berry as the next super grain.
Why not? The purple-black colored rice grain is packed with anti-inflammatory agents like omega 3 fatty acids, which are compounds that help in lowering the risks of Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and diabetes. Apart from being delicious, the rice berry has a high content of antioxidants such as zinc, vitamin E, folic acid, gamma oryzanol, and beta-carotene. Since it is high in bran oil and fiber content, it can aid digestion while slowing down the aging process.
What is Riceberry?
Riceberry is a cross-hybrid of black jasmine rice (Jai Hom Nin) and Thain Jasmine rice(Khai Dawk Mali 105.) This breed of rice is soft-textured, wholesome, aromatic, and tasty grain. It has long grains with reddish black color when uncooked and then, turn to purplish-black once cooked. Unlike brown rice, you can cook in the same amount of time similar to white rice.
The Rice Science Center & Rice Gene Discovery Unit in Nakhon Pathom Province in Thailand developed the rice berry. Due to anthocyanins, the rice grain has a purplish-black color. Are you curious about what does the rice taste like? The rice berry’s bran has the same texture to brown rice and has a strong fragrance. On the other hand, the interior is nutty, tender, and a bit sweet.
Riceberry and Asian Diet
The Asian diet primarily focuses on creating wellness. Asians consider health not only being free from sickness but also continued improvement in the overall health. No doubt, many Asians today consider rice berry to be an essential part of their diet due to high nutrient content. Besides being nutritious and health-promoting, rice is among the staple foods in different Asian areas.
Although the Western regions of Asia consider bread as a staple food, the Eastern areas of the continent find rice to be the representative food. In Japan, eating rice means to the Japanese people as having a meal.
Asians are very particular to the food they eat. They prefer foods that are not only delicious, flavorful, and savory but also high nutrient value. In the Asian diet, the ratio of vegetables to meat is 3:1. Meaning, the vegetable’s amount is three times the amount to the meat’s amount. Then, they will combine them with rice.
Rice is an essential part of Asian cuisine, so expect to find tasty dishes with a variety of rice breeds. And now, rice berry is among the latest discoveries to make Asian cuisine more interesting.
When you head your way to Asia, make sure to try rice berry and enjoy its taste and health benefits.
