African Rice


Woman Harvesting Rice [Oryza sativa var indica   |   Oryza glaberrima (Upland Rice)   |   NERICA (New Rice for Africa)]

Upland Rice

  (Oryza glaberrima)   Native to Africa, this rice has been cultivated for over 3000 years. It does not need the tremendous amount of water Oryza sativa needs. This is the kind of rice promoted by Thomas Jefferson, when he noted the extreme amount of disease suffered by slaves working in paddy fields. This rice is well suited to African conditions, with low requrements for water and labor, pest resistant, easy to harvest, and leafy, so it supresses weeds. It has one severe problem: yields are half that of Indica rice varieties. Today, it constitutes an estimated 20% of African rice production.

Asian Rice

  (Oryza sativa)   Brought to Africa by various trade routes, this is now the predominant rice in Africa. It can only be grown where water is very plentiful and easy to control. Disease is still a problem for the paddy workers.

NERICA Rice:

  This is a forced hybrid of Oryza glaberrima and Oryza sativa. The two don't hybridize successfully under natural circumstances, so advanced laboratory methods had to be used. These methods proved successful, producing dryland varieties with the high yields of Asian paddy grown rice. NERICA plantings in Uganda allowed the country to halve the amount of imported rice. There are, however, Intellectual Property issues to be worked out.

Imported Rice:

  There is little hope that even with NERCA rice, Africa will be able to supply its demand for rice. Currently most rice consumed in Africa is imported, with a high impact on fragile economies.   Photo by Hawiphotography distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v4.0 International.

General Information on Rice.


Rice Varieties Used in Africa

Basmati


Basmati Rice Grains Africa imports most of its rice, and some of that is Basmati from India, pretty much all into East Africa, which has had a close trade relationship with Inda for thousands of years. It is grown in northern India and Pakistan, in the foothills of the Himalayas. This is a long grain distinctly aromatic rice that stands up well to robust flavors. The grains are very long and properly cooked stay very separate and fluffy. Typically 1 cup of rice takes 1-7/8 cups of water and makes 3 cups. The photo specimens were typically 0.290 inch long by 0.060 inch wide (7.4 x 1.5 mm). The grains expand greatly in length when cooked. The photo specimens cooked out to about 1/2 inch long (13 mm).

Basmati Sella


Sella Basmati Rice Grains This is simply Basmati Rice that has been par boiled in the husk before milling. It is very popular in India and Nigeria, and widely available in North America. It is essential for making Nigerian Jollof Rice, but must not be used for Jollof Rice in the rest of West Africa. It takes just a little more time time to cook than regular Basmati, and a little more water (2 cups water to 1 cup rice). It is quite tolerant of cooking conditions and the grains remain very separate even if somewhat over cooked. Flavor has a definite hint of brown basmati. The photo specimen grains were typically 0.340 inch long and 0.075 inch wide (8.6 x 1.9 mm) and it cooked out to about 0.55 inch long (14 mm).

Broken Rice


Broken Rice Grains Sold mostly to food processors in most of the world, though called for in certain Southeast Asian recipes, broken rice is very popular in West Africa for two reasons - it costs less than full grain rice, and it can substitute for couscous because it is of similar size and shape. The photo was taken in Senegal, a major West African consumer of broken rice.   Photo by T.K. Naliaka (heavily cropped), distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v4.0 International, attribution required.

Camolino

  -   Egyptian rice milled with oil - not at all common in North American markets.

Egyptian Rice


White Egyprian Rice Grains Rice cultivation is thought to have started in Egypt in the 7th century CE. Today, most varieties produced are very high yielding japonica type: Giza 177 (short thick grain), Sakha 101/102/103/104 (short thick grain) or Giza 178 (short thin grain). These may be milled as natural polished white rice, white Camolino rice (polished in oil - not common in North American markets), or brown rice (called "cargo rice" by Egyptian manufacturers).

The thick grain varieties are exported to Turkey, the Levant, Arabia, and Southern California (where we have a large Near Eastern population). The thin grain variety is exported mainly to Eastern and Southeastern Europe, and to East and West Africa.

The brand I've purchased is "Egypt's Best", a thick grained variety that I found to have very good flavor, moderate stickiness and slightly chewy texture. The specimen grains were typically 0.220 inch long and 0.075 inch across (5.6 x 1.9 mm) . A cup of rice took about 2 cups of water and cooked in about 25 minutes to produce 3 cups.

India, non Basmati


Sona Masoori White Rice Grains Africa imports 71% of India's non-basmati rice exports. This sector has been declining because the rupee has increased against the dollar, making Indian exports more expensive than those from Southeast Asia. Also, China has been dumping aging government stocks of medium grain rice into African countries at below market prices. The photo is of Sona Masoori, a popular Indian non-basmati rice.

Madagascar Pink


Pink Madagascar Rice Grains [Dista Rice]

Grown in the Lake Alaotra region of Madagascar, this unique, lightly aromatic long grain rice is imported by Lotus Foods. It has good yield and is grown on very marshy land, which suggest it is of Indian descent rather than African (trade between India and Madagascar has been going on for many centuries). The photo specimens were 0.295 inch long and 0.070 inch wide (9.0 x 2.1 mm). One cup of rice takes 1-3/4 cups of water to make 3 cups cooked.

Mbeya Rice


White Embeya Rice Grains This rice is grown around the city of Mbeya in the western highlands of Tanzania, and is a much preferred rice in that country. From photos and descriptions of aroma, taste, and texture, I expect this rice is very similar to Thai Jasmine rice, which will make a good substitute. I have read some recipes by East African writers that recommended Jasmine Rice.   Photo from Jumbe Seleman used under fair use doctrine (small, heavily cropped, non-commercial, educational use, otherwise unavailable) .

Ofada Rice


Ofada Rice Grains [often Oryza glaberrima and Oryza sativa blend]

Ofada Rice is grown only in the southwest corner of Nigeria. Today it is usually a blend of several types, some of which may not be African native. It is considered an elite rice in Nigeria, used mostly for celebrations and other important events. African rice is difficult to mill, so the milling is generally incomplete, adding color and flavor to some of the grains. It is also sometimes fermented, giving it an aromatic flavor, but reputed to smell up the kitchen during cooking. The photo specimens were purchased on-line for 2018 US $4.00 / pound. Predominant size was 0.265 x 0.180 inch (6.7 x 4.6 mm).

Upland Rice


Upland Rice Grains [Oryza glaberrima]

These varieties of rice are grown in West and West-Central Africa - a completely different species from Asian rice (Oryza glaberrima rather than Oryza sativa). This rice is almost never seen in North America because it is low yield and not enough is grown to supply Africa. It's main advantage is that it needs far less water than Asian rice. It comes in many varieties from short grain to long grain and from nearly white to very dark brown. Photo from the USDA ARS GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) is of variety Bankoram from Ghana.

NERICA Rice


Live NERICA Rice Plants [New Rice for Africa]

This rice is a forced cross between O. glaberrima and O. sativa to overcome the low yield of O.glaberrina while retaining the dryland growing ability and disease and weed resistance of that species. It is a "forced cross" because the two species are not reproductively compatible. While still in development stages, initial plantings have been successful and cultivation of this rice is spreading in Sub-Saharan Africa. It will not be exported to North America because it is still far from meeting African needs.   Photo by Africa Rice Center, distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported, attribution required.

Thai Jasmine Rice


White Thai Jasmine Rice Grains [Thai Basmati; Hom Mali (Thai); Milagrosa (Philippines); Cambodia Fragrant; Oryza sativa var indica]

Africa imports most of its rice, so Thai Jasmine Rice is making inroads, especially in South Africa and Nigeria. It is imported from Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Sometimes called "Thai basmati" because of its fragrance, this rice remains fluffy with separate grains (though not quite as fluffy as basmati) and is an ideal rice for many types of dishes. 1 cup rice needs about 1-3/4 cups (variable depending on age) of water to makes about 3 cups cooked rice in 25 minutes. The photo specimens were typically 0.300 inches long and 0.075 inches wide (7.6 x 1.9 mm).

Short Grain Sweet Rice


Short Grain Sweet White Rice Grains

[Sticky Rice; Glutenous Rice; Mochigome (Japan)]

This intensely white short grain rice is used in Niger and northern Nigeria to make Tuwo Shinkafa, a Fufu of rice. It is very low in amylose and very high in amylopectin starches, so it absorbs a lot of water and cooks up very sticky (but it contains no gluten). The photo specimens, grown in California, by Koda Farms, were 0.200 inches long by 0.107 inch wide (5.1 x 2.7 mm). A cup of this rice needs about 2-1/2 cups of water and cooks in about 25 minutes, much longer for Tuwo Shinkafa.

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