The differences between Basmati and other rice: a guide

Basmati rice has an Indo-Pakistani origin, as the name also testifies: the word, in fact, has a Sanskrit etymological root and means “imbued with aroma”, to indicate the fresh and fragrant flavor of this cereal with an elongated grain.
Although there are numerous varieties, only about twenty of them maintain the characteristics that make it a truly unique rice in terms of organoleptic and nutritional properties: in addition to not overcooking, in fact, Basmati has a much lower glycemic index than its “colleagues”, which makes it easier to include in particular diets

So if you are looking for a variety of rice whose grains remain separate, not sticky and particularly fragrant, Basmati is undoubtedly the product to focus on. Check out &' take a look at the best types of rice

History of Basmati rice: a thousand-year journey

As stated in a publication published by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, the origins of rice cultivation and consumption between India and Pakistan date back to a pre-Aryan historical period, of which archaeological evidence remains and a mention attested by the Atharva-Veda, a sacred text dating back to 1500 BC. Furthermore, as a species, it seems to have emerged as many as 8,000 years ago, in northern India.

To be cultivated, Basmati requires a humidity of 70-80% and a temperature in the range of 25-35°C: optimal parameters make it possible to qualitatively improve the yields, together with the selection of the correct variants. Four of these, in particular, are usually destined for export: Basmati 370, Type 3, K. Local and Pusa-Basmati 1

The varieties of Basmati

Although they differ internally, the varieties just mentioned are similar to each other: the shortest bean is registered in Type 3, while the most productive plant among the four mentioned is the last. Again: the penultimate variant is able to absorb a slightly larger amount of water, while it has the lowest amylose content; however, a table of basic characteristics summarizes the minimum standards required for a quality of rice to be defined as

Fixing these characteristics is necessary to avoid applying a higher commercial value to simple variants of long-grain rice, which are not automatically considered to belong to the

Threats to Basmati rice cultivation

Cultivating this rice is not easy, especially in the presence of certain insects that feed on it: among these, we find two small moths (Sciropophaga incertuals and Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) and a homopteran (Nilaparvata lugens). The challenges in production and the consistent global demand are two additional factors to keep in mind when assigning an economic value to this rice: a good risotto, then, can further enhance its value

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