Page 10 - 農糧署業務簡介專冊

Taiwan Rice

Shiny, distinct grains with aroma and springy texture

ave a taste of the shiny, mouth-watering and fragrant Taiwan rice! With the farmers' hardwork and the guidance
Hfrom experts at Agricultural Research and Extension Stations, Taiwanese rice not only has tasty fragrance but
also diverse flavors, textures and characteristics.

Rice is a major crop in Taiwan, and the rice fields account for about 20%
of the farming land area, mainly located in Taichung City, Changhua County,
Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Tainan City and Hualien County. According
to the rice qualities, rice in Taiwan is divided into three major categories-
japonica, indica and glutinous rice. The japonica rice is also called “Pon-Lai
Rice”, which has short, round and transparent grains with sticky, soft and
springy texture when cooked. The indica rice has long, narrow and also
transparent grains, and it can be further divided into hard indica rice that
has hard, foamy and dried texture and soft indica rice with soft texture.
Generally, hard indica rice is mainly used as the raw material for processed
food. On the other hand, soft indica rice has a texture similar to japonica rice
when cooked and perfect for direct consumption. The glutinous rice has
opaque grains and is especially soft and very sticky when cooked. Glutinous
rice can be divided into two kinds, one is short-grain glutinous rice and the
other is long-grain glutinous rice. The former is suitable for making sweet
rice diets like rice wine and “tangyuan” (glutinous rice dumpling). The latter
is suitable for making savory rice diets like “zongzi” (sticky rice dumpling),
rice cake and steamed glutinous rice. Rice in Taiwan has diverse varieties
which meet different needs and is people's must-have staple food for daily
life.

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