Taiwan Rice

Shiny, distinct grains with aroma and springy texture

Have a taste of the shiny, mouth-watering and fragrant Taiwan rice! With the farmers' hardwork and the guidance from 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.

TAIWAN'S AGRICULTURE

Taiwan Rice