What is Bamboo Rice?

By Bamboo Grove on April 26, 2018

Rice is a staple in dishes all across the world. Whether you eat it with curry, with your Mongolian Beef, or with butter and salt, rice is everywhere. If you’ve ever eaten any authentic Asian and Indian cuisine, you’re probably familiar with edible bamboo shoots. If you’re a fan of them, then I suggest you look no further than bamboo rice. You heard right, in India, there is a form of rice that is made from bamboo. The Indian name for the strain is Mulayari. It is natural form of short grain rice that is made from the last remnants of a dying bamboo shoot. It is often considered a “tribal” rice, but it’s interesting story may just peak your interest. When a bamboo shoot breathes its last breath, it will flower into a rare variety of rice seeds. These seeds are what become bamboo rice. Tribal communities in India are known for utilizing bamboo rice as a major cash crop.

Bamboo rice is not the easiest of rice to harvest. Bamboo’s unpredictable flowering and thorniness can prove problematic. To get perfect and polished rice, the area around the base of the bamboo is cleaned of debris. Then the base is smoothed with clay and kept to dry. Dried rice is then ready to be stored and consumed. The rice in its uncooked state has a green hue to its appearance. It looks a lot like paddy rice, but it takes more like wheat rice. It has a sweet taste to it and pairs well with most dishes. It has a sticky texture and is chewy when it is consumed.

Bamboo rice is just like almost any form of rice. It is rich in carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. This strain is believed to have a low glycemic index in comparison to other rice varieties. This means it may be a healthier option for diabetics. The rice is low in fat and rich in vitamin B. Do you think you would ever incorporate bamboo rice into your meals?