Everything’s Bigger in Texas

Texas is the best producer of long grain rice and nothing beats its quality. U.S. long grain rice is the most well known, and quite possibly what you inherently think of when someone mentions rice. Grains are slender and typically 4–5 times as long as they are wide and should be at least 3/8 inch (7 mm) in length. Long grain rice has no aroma or floral notes, and cooks into light, fluffy grains that fall off your fork (which is why you might consider feeding your toddler rice that’s a little more sticky!). It is often used in entrées (Jambalaya anyone?), soups and pilafs, and is usually the first choice for a side dish.

Most of the long grain types grown today were developed from the rice type Oryza Sativa Indica, which produced the famous Indian Basmati rice. Though likely first cultivated in and around India, long grain rice is used in most of Asia. Although the shorter grain is used in many dishes, people in Japan and China do use long grain rice for some meals.

Many cooks cite the advantages to using long grain rice. The longer grain, when cooked properly, tends to be much fluffier and less sticky. It produces a “drier” rice result, which means the rice, when not overcooked, is easily separated. Due to lower gluten in long grain styles of rice, flour made from this rice may be an excellent substitute for people on low gluten or gluten-free diets.