In a number of languages the word for rice is the same as the word for food, so people will ask each other “Have you had rice?”, meaning,”Have you eaten?”. Rice is often the symbol of life and fertility, and is thrown at a bride and groom at weddings. Rice originated in the south of China and spread throughout Asia where it is the staple grain of most countries.

It is worth following some of the original methods of cooking rice before modern marketing stepped in. Rice is extremely easy to cook.

To make a rice dish more special, saffron is added to give it a beautiful yellow colour as well as flavour. Saffron is expensive and is used sparingly. It takes hundreds of the crocus flower stigmas to make even a teaspoonful of saffron.

Arborio rice

Try to buy arboria rice for risotto - it was especially cultivated for these dishes. The wide-grained rice responds particularly well to slow cooking. If you cannot get it, use short-grain rice.

Basmati rice

Around the world basmati (meaning “fragrant”) is known as the “Prince of Rices”. Tastic Basmati is grown in the foothills of the Himalayas. Here the grains are watered by drifts of melting snow, the secret ingredient to Basmati’s exquisite delicate texture, flavour and aroma. Ideal for spicy curries, biryani, wakhni, dhal, or even sweet puddings.

Brown rice

Only edible husk removed, leaving outer shell (bran) intact. Higher fibre and vitamin content than white rice. Uncooked it is light brown; retains nutty flavour and some bite when boiled (cannot be fried). Long-, medium-, and short-grained varieties.

Long-grain rice

The aristocrat of rices, used for pilaffs, stir-frying, and other dishes in which dry, separate grains are desired. The description applies to varieties in which the grain is three times longer than it is wide.

These include:

• American aromatics - Domestic hybrids with quite strong flavours, including Della, popcorn, and Wehani rices.
• American-style domestic rices - Hybrids of Carolina rice, named after the one-time rice state. This is one of the most popular, if unremarkable, rices in the Western kitchen.
• Patna rice - An Indian original, though now grown in the USA and elsewhere.
• Punjabi Basmati - A highly regarded white variety, with low moisture content.
• Surinam rice - A delicate rice, with particularly long, thin grains - a continental European favourite.

Medium-grain rice

Slightly shorter and plumper than long-grain, these rices absorb more moisture in cooking. They generally used where stock flavours the rice or a creamier texture is desired.

Varieties include:

• Italian risotto rices - These are traditionally white, with a high enough level of starch (amy-lopectin) to make the interior of the grain retain a slight bite, while the outer coating melts into the stock. Mainly a product of northern Italy, the preferred types are arborio, followed by carnaroli and vialone.
• Spanish Valencia-style rice - This is the arroz used in classic paella, the dish of seafood, sausages, and sometimes meat or poultry made in a special copper pan, and in other Spanish-style dishes. The grains of this rice should stay fairly separate, but they are cooked thoroughly so they “bloom”. This is also the type of rice preferred in Central and South America.
• Sushi rice - A highly regarded white variety, with low moisture content.
• Surinam rice - An Asian-style rice of medium length, but high in amylopectin so it sticks together.

Short-grain rice

The shortest varieties, often appearing almost round. Recipe

They include:

• Asian-style rices - The “sticky” or glutinous rices popular throughout the Far East. They are high in amylopectin, which allows the rice to be rolled into a ball to be eaten, be used as stuffing for lotus leaves, or sweetened and used in desserts. They are generally available only in oriental markets. (There are a few long-grained glutinous varieties, but these are only available in the East.)

White rice

This is brown rice, which goes through more treatment to remove the germ and bran, resulting in a white grain. Most white rices are pearled or polished, which removes any rice flour still clinging to the kernel. Unpolished white rice has not gone through this process.

Wild rice

Wild rice is not actually a rice as such, but may be cooked the same way as brown rice. It is a fragrant and tasty rice particularly suited for stuffing poultry and game.

An important part of rice cooking is to have a heavy cast iron pot with a well-fitting lid. The thick base will ensure even cooking and retention of heat. The rice boils as well as absorbs the steam, while cooking, so it is important that no steam escapes. No other special equipment is needed except very sharp knives to cut fruit, vegetables and meats. A wok is excellent for large rice dishes like paella or biryani as well as stir-frying, of course.