'Best Rice in the World': All you need to know about India's Basmati (2024)

Indian basmati rice has been named the Best Rice in the World by the well-known culinary and travel reference TasteAtlas. The honour was revealed by TasteAtlas as one of its year-end 2023–24 accolades.

India was recently ranked 11th on the prestigious "100 Best Cuisines in the World" list by the culinary guide as well.

In the celebratory post, it wrote, "Basmati is a long-grain rice variety that was originally grown and cultivated in India and Pakistan. The rice is characterised by its flavour and aroma, which is very nutty, floral and slightly spicy. Once cooked, the grains remain individual and don't stick to each other, which allows curry and similar stew and sauces to coat every grain. The longer the grain, the better the rice, and the best basmati grains have a slightly golden hue."

Basmati in India

Nearly 34 types of Basmati rice are grown in India and are officially recognised by the Seeds Act of 1966.

These are Basmati 217, Basmati 370, Type 3 (Dehraduni Basmati) Punjab Basmati 1 (Bauni Basmati), Pusa Basmati 1, Kasturi, Haryana Basmati 1, Mahi Sugandha, Taraori Basmati (HBC 19 / Karnal Local), Ranbir Basmati, Basmati 386, Improved Pusa Basmati 1 (Pusa 1460), Pusa Basmati 1121 (After amendment), Vallabh Basmati 22, Pusa Basmati 6 (Pusa 1401), Punjab Basmati 2, Basmati CSR 30 (After amendment), Malviya Basmati Dhan 10-9 (IET 21669), Vallabh Basmati 21 (IET 19493), Pusa Basmati 1509 (IET 21960), Basmati 564, Vallabh Basmati 23, Vallabh Basmati 24, Pusa Basmati 1609, Pant Basmati 1 (IET 21665), Pant Basmati 2 (IET 21953), Punjab Basmati 3, Pusa Basmati 1637, Pusa Basmati 1728, Pusa Basmati 1718, Punjab Basmati 4, Punjab Basmati 5, Haryana Basmati 2 and Pusa Basmati 1692.

Basmati is mentioned frequently in history, dating back to antiquated books and manuscripts. The Indian ruler Shershah Suri, who ruled in the sixteenth century, is said to have declared Basmati rice to be the "king of grain" because of its exquisite flavour. Furthermore, Basmati's prominence was further elevated by the Mughal rulers, who were well-known for their refined palates and admiration of fine dining, according to the India Rice Exporters' Federation.

The Federation also states that in Indian families, basmati rice is very important, especially at weddings, get-togethers, festivals, and other special occasions. Every Indian family may benefit from the ultimate taste, happiness, and custom that basmati rice offers, whether celebrating Holi, Diwali, Eid, Pongal, Durga Puja or Navratri.

Rice Exports

The principal growing regions of basmati inthe country include Delhi, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Western Uttar Pradesh. Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, United Kingdom, United States of America, Yemen Republic, Oman and Canada are the world's top destinations for the export of basmati rice.

With a 45 percent market share in the world of rice, India is the world's largest rice exporter.

Between April and October of the current fiscal year, India exported 73.18 lakh tonnes of non-basmati rice and 26.08 lakh tonnes of basmati rice. Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda provided the Lok Sabha with export statistics for the main food grains in a written response.

Basmati & Non-basmati varieties of rice exported from India

India broadly exports several categories of rice under the Basmati and non-Basmati category.

Varieties exported under the basmati brand are Pusa Basmati 1121, Golden Sella Basmati Rice, Sugandha Basmati Rice, Sharbati Basmati Rice. While broken rice, parboiled rice, Swarna riceand Sona masuri variety are exported under the non-basmati rice category.

Following basmati, other types of rice on TravelAtlas list are:

Arborio from Arborio, Italy: Risottos and rice puddings are the main dishes made using the Italian rice type arborio. The foods that include rice have creamy textures because the small, spherical grains are solid and contain a lot of starch. Arborio rice has qualities that make it nearly twice as expensive as conventional long-grain rice.

Arroz Carolino das Lezírias Ribatejanas from Santarem District, Portugal: This Portuguese rice variety has a velvety soft texture, is fine and delicate, and excels at absorbing the flavours and scents of the food it is cooked with. Outside of Lisbon, in Salvaterra de Magos, a region renowned for its temperate Mediterranean environment, is where rice is farmed.

Rice paper from Vietnam: One of the key materials in Vietnamese cooking is rice paper, which is used to wrap the items for appetisers. Steamed rice batter that has been sun-dried is used to make the wrapper. Rice paper should be soaked in water for a few seconds before being used to make appetisers or meals. Once softened, it may be filled with almost anything, such as omelettes, cucumbers, and tofu.

Uruchimai from Japan: A common element in Japanese cooking, uruchimai, or Japanese short-grain rice, is a short-grain variety of Japonica rice. This kind of rice has shorter, plumper grains with a higher starch content than ordinary rice.

Riz de Camargue from Bouches-Du-Rhone, France: The term "riz de Camargue" describes the several types of rice that come from the French Camargue area, including mixed rice, full and brown rice, white rice, non-stick rice, and pre-cooked rice. Since the 19th century, rice has been grown in the region; although the environment is harsh and makes cultivation challenging, the result is rice with excellent quality and a delicate flavour.

TasteAtlas' Assessing Ideology

TasteAtlas states that its food rankings are based on the ratings of the audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable.
"TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried," said the culinary guide platform.