Rice can come in many shapes, colours and sizes. This best basmati rice for biryani a list of rice cultivars, also known as rice varieties.
There are several species of grain called rice. Rice may vary in genetics, grain length, color, thickness, stickiness, aroma, growing method, and other characteristics, leading to many cultivars. For instance, over nine major rice cultivars exist to make sake alone. Rice can also be divided based on processing type into the two broad categories of brown and white. However, there are often strong cultural preferences for one or the other, depending on variety and region. Tolsi Mala Dhan – aromatic rice, best from the Sherpur district region. Until 1970, India had about 110,000 varieties of rice and now it has about 6,000 varieties.
There are possibly up to 82,700 varieties of rice extant in India, and of those more than 5000 were found in West Bengal. However, only 150 of them are commonly grown. Many are grown organically to compete with more modern cultivars. The Agricultural Training Centre of West Bengal exists to conserve and promote the use of folk rice varieties, including many listed below.