is Japanese rice better ?

[Mrjones]

There is alot of talk about rice in Japan. I also saw this finnish Japanese movie called kakome shokudo, it is Japanese movie pictured in Finland. The movie was rather boring, though they tried their best to make Finland look flawless and good hearted people. There was a scene though, were all the Japanese actors were ainting rice in finland, and spitting rice to plate. Telling how bad finnish rice is. Lol first of all there is no Finnish rice at all, so I dont really care, but the question is: Do you think Japanese rice is the best rice in the world, does it really taste better ? I love Japanese sushi though, I quess their rice actually is little bit better.

[yukio_michael]

I buy Korean rice... I don't really notice there to be a big difference... It's possible that rice is better when it is grown in countries which have land suitable for rice fields... I think that's natural, but I don't know for certain.

The Japanese will tell you to no end that their rice is superior because this prevents anyone from importing it--- That is almost un-imaginable. It's probably the most protected trade there is.

I will tell you this. I hate Japanese fruit. Who in the world wants a 4 dollar apple?

[nice gaijin]

I'm a fan of koshihikari; I prefer the texture of good Japanese rice, and I have second-hand experience of doctors recommending it over rice grown elsewhere because it's easier on the digestive tract. Of course, there's a wide variety of rice, but I prefer the Japanese stuff when it comes to short-grain white rice.

[Mrjones]

Indeed, the texture of the rice is very good in Japan, I think the cook maters more than materials when making delicous food. I can safely say I got my best rice based meals here in Japan, but that is only natural, I would not expect anything less ;)

[nurizeko]

I like Japanese rice, but that is mere personal preference.

[yukio_michael]

I think I'd have to do some blind taste tests to find out... Unfortunately the Japanese grocery store is a bus ride with a transfer away... So until I get some Japanese rice to try, and a rice cooker so that I can be sure my cooking methods are even, I'll have to stick with the Korean rice without an opinion as to either or.

[dogcountry]

Well, when I lived in Japan I had to make frequent trips to Korea. My girl Michan would have me bring back two carrying bags full of Korean rice. From what I learned at that time, Korean rice was superior to Japanese rice. Of course, she knew exactly how long to cook it, amount of water etc.

[CBT1979]

I think depends on which sort of rice you prefer.
Some might prefer the wet rice(mostly eaten by East Asians) or the dry rice (mostly eaten by Indians, Iranians etc.), long or short rice corns.

[Flashjeff]

Call me dense, but I've eaten rice in Asia, Europe and America, and, to tell you the truth, I could never tell the difference.

:?

[CBT1979]

What? You could never tell the difference???

I think you are all ok, but maybe your tongue is a bit dense ;)

I've eaten several Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai and US rice, and I can tell you they have different taste, smell and look. But I must admit that it is a marginal difference for many people, just like in the different catergories of Green Tea.

[dogcountry]

You could be right. I would say cooking rice the proper method makes rice the most preferred.

[CBT1979]

Yo Dogcountry, BTW happy new year dude!

Do you have a rice cooker or do you boil them in a pot with hot water?

I can tell you that those rice cookers are very nice and absolutely standard in East Asian households. My family have some of the brand National(Japan), and my girlfriend has some of Tatung(Taiwan), and I can fully recommend them.:cool:
You can cook easily rice or congee with marked line in the pot and cup for how many persons you need how much water inside to determine whether the rice is more dry or wet too.

[Maciamo]

A lot of the so-called Japanese rice is grown in the USA. Please check your pack carefully. Even if everything is written in Japanese, it might be written 米国産. Not that it changes anything, but it just goes to show that even Japanese people often don't notice that their "Japanese rice" is not grown in Japan.

[yukio_michael]

A lot of the so-called Japanese rice is grown in the USA. Please check your pack carefully. Even if everything is written in Japanese, it might be written 米国産. Not that it changes anything, but it just goes to show that even Japanese people often don't notice that their "Japanese rice" is not grown in Japan.Aren't there 300% tarrifs to imported rice? Or are these Japanese companies who are doing intra-company transfer of a product that they produce overseas?

[justin]

I had Japanese rice before and I thought it was okay.

[chibichibi005]

Well, I will say that being raised in the United States by a Japanese woman and having the opportunity to come live here in Japan and try all the different brands, I actually believe that Japanese rice is better. I've tried Mahatma and other US Brands but I always go back to Nishiki. It's my favorite, my mother likes some other brand but I find that Nishiki is one that gets to an easy consistency for rice balls and sushi every time. It's hit or miss on some of the other brands and the American brands just don't get sticky enough, kind of like Minute Rice, where the pieces of rice repel each other and some even seem to split open. I think it's really more of a preference thing, but I prefer the Japanese brand.

:63: akemashte omedeto! :63:

[dogcountry]

I think you hit it right on. Japanese rice appears to take the preferance over the others.

[sabro]

More than half of all the short and medium grain rice grown in California is exported to Japan. It is worth about $400 million per year, and has taken hits in recent years due to tariffs and trade restrictions. The rice has pretty rigorous standards and had a big problem with our bio-engineered strands... and the WTO agreements that increased the import levels to 10% (Korea is at 4%) also allowed Japan to keep its tariffs and pricing structures. Currently I believe about 8% of the rice consumed in Japan is imported.

[Goldiegirl]

I like pretty much all types of rice, except for the fast cooking minute rice kind. I think Japanese rice is good, but I really like Thai sweet rice. It's soooo good. It's super sticky and has a really great texture. The grocer at the asian market says that although the label says the rice is from Thailand, that it's probably from Laos...I am not sure though why that would be.

[sabro]

Also, Japanese rice is the highest quality in the world. Most of the globe produces dry rice, long grain, brown rice or coarser grades "Indica" that is significantly different to the sweet shortgrained rice and other sticky, medium and short grain rice known as "Japonica." Rice is generally used where it is grown.

[yukio_michael]

This is the rice that I use... Han Kuk Mi Korean sushi rice...

http://www.greencastlecoffee.com/ProductImages/rice+noodles_han-kuk-mi-korean-rice.jpg

As said... the closest store to me is a Korean grocery store, so my choices are somewhat dictated by what is there... It may be a subconscious thing, but usually if I can find something that says "Product of Japan" I buy that...

Products that are more likely to be eaten in Japan are usually branded this way, such as miso paste or mattcha...

[taeter_tot]

I have personal preference on short grain rice,like it's texture

[xFumiko]

I think Chinese rice is more sticky.
Korean Rice is more "kyu" [Chinese]... or like ....well it's hard to describe but it's like fluffy?
Japanese Rice is more like a mix.

But I like fluffy rice--so Korean Rice! :D [or Restaurant Rice...]
The flavor is the same pretty much though. I don't really like sticky rice but my parents like so I'm kind of stuck here. -__-;

[dogcountry]

I can't really argue which is better. I had to make frequent trips to Korea and would pick up two loads of Korean rice that filled the two carrying bags. My lady Michiko (Michan) insisted that the Korean was super, BUT maybe Japanese rice was hard to get at that time. I ate what she put in front of me and thought it was just fine. I don't eat out that often. When in Miami or near Boston we sometimes frequented a Japanese restaurant, NOT those quick food places that are advertised. We used to go to a great, very typical Japanese restaurant. I'd be satisfied with a good sukiyaki dish. It also gave me a chance to use my Japanese that was slowly fading. We now live in South Central Florida so dining out doesn't happen...Russ

[M.K]

it depends on for a menu you use it for. to make suchi, i bet japanese rice is better than any other rice, but for serving w/ indian curry, i'd use jasmine rice.

[Qu_Qu]

jasmine rice is long grain,imported from thailand.

[LarsTheo]

I have what I think is Japanese rice (I bought it at Mitsuwa, my neighborhood Japanese market), but I stored it in a jar without the label, and so I can't be sure. For sushi, I prefer Japanese rice over Korean, but I prefer Basmati rice for every day eating. I'm supposed to cut back on white rice, however, and so I'm trying to use brown Basmati, which is the best brown rice I've had so far. I also like black rice. Most of the short grain rice I buy (and use mainly for risotto) is grown in Texas.

[powerplantop]

I love Japanese, but I also like jasmine rice.

Koshihikari rice is now grown in the USA by farms like Isbell Farms in Arkansas.

[junjunforever]

i really cant tell the difference either. But its probably that expensive Japanese rice is better than cheap Korean rice and vice versa.
From what I know, most of the "asian" sticky rice sold in the U.S. are produced in California. The warm climate allows the rice to be harvested twice in some cases, and I think the most expensive Californian rice can be comparable to high-end Japanese counterparts, at about half the price. Also, the quality of the rice depends on the time of the season as well.
Although I am rather "cheap-***", rice is one thing that I think is worth spending your money on.

[dogcountry]

Is it possible to move on to another subject other than rice?
I had my share of Japanese and Korean rice. Rice is rice. I recently told my wife to go out and buy a cooker maybe it's a pressure cooker , but for cooking rice anyway. She surprisingly told me she has one. I told her for crissake use it so we can end this topic on rice...Russ

[Petenshber]

Well dogcountry, since this thread is just for the purpose of talking about rice it would be strange to change the subject.

Anyway, the first time i ever thought about diferent types of rice was when i was 17, a friend of a friend made dinner for me and some friends, she was Korean and wanted to treat us to a meal that she grew up eating, i can't say how authenticly Korean it was but i noticed a big diference in the rice, that was actually the first thing that ever made me interested in an asian country.

As for quick-cook (precooked) type rice, i grew up on the stuff and have no problem with it, i actually prefer it with things like Cajun foods such as Jumbalaya.

[JerseyBoy]

I think there is quite a difference in taste and texture between Japanese rice and American rice. Since I came to USA (almost 12 years ago), I have never eaten the rice which I felt like I was at home in Japan). Maybe I am such a cheapskate and have not chosen the expensive Japanese restaurant in Manhattan; but, now that I have experienced my stay outside Japan, I can tell there is a distinct difference in between Japanese rice and other country's rice. If rice is not your staple, this would not make any sense to you. But, for someone who was raised there, you would know the difference. The only rice I ever tried in USA is Uncle Ben's (it's okay as it is very easy to cook). But, it is no Japanese rice. I miss Koshihikari rice with Matsu-take.

[thistle]

I&ve lived here nearly 20years, and I"d have to say that I still think
japanese rice is bland, and if I had any choice I would be eating either
American or Indian. Because of the sicky texture of course if is better for
making sushi.

[GodEmperorLeto]

I agree with all of you who say, "Rice is rice." Because although it is different, it isn't THAT different. I mean, oat, barley, and wheat are different. Rice from Japan isn't all that different from Korean rice. What is different is how it is made, like rice from the southern U.S. or Mexico, or India. They are all made differently, and that is interesting. But the different strains of rice? Not at all that different to me to warrant really picking one over the other. Besides, Asian rice is cooked to be eaten with chopsticks anyway, so it is all made roughly the same.