Red rice is
rice that is colored red due to natural
anthocyanin content. It is usually eaten
unpolished or partially polished, and has a red
bran layer, rather than the more common pale brown. Red rice has a nutty flavor. It has the highest
nutritional value[quantify] among rices eaten with the bran intact.[citation needed]
Health claims
Some strains of red rice, when eaten dehusked (analogous to ordinary
brown rice), has a lower
glycemic index compared to white rice (Basmati and Jasmine), which is polished. However, research also indicates that polishing red rice removes this difference.[1]
Red rice contains higher
antioxidant levels compared to white rice,[2] though what they actually do in the human body is unclear.
Dehusked red rice is also a richer source of iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc than white rice.[3] The same can be said of ordinary brown rice.[4]
Varieties
Varieties of red rice include:
Rakthashali, a rare rice variety of Indian rice, often mentioned in
Ayurveda and
Hinduism
Red rice, also known as
weedy rice, a low-yielding rice variety that persists as a weed in fields of better-quality rice
Thai
Red Cargo rice, a non-glutinous long grain rice variety
Bhutanese red rice, a medium-grain rice grown in the Kingdom of Bhutan in the eastern Himalayas
Camargue red rice, a relatively new variety of rice cultivated in the wetlands of the Camargue region of southern France
Matta rice Kerala Matta rice, also known as Rosematta rice, Palakkadan Matta rice, Kerala Red rice, and Red parboiled rice, is an indigenous variety of rice grown in Palakkad District of Kerala. It is popular in Kerala and Sri Lanka, where it is used for
idlies and
appams, and eaten plain.Matta rice is mostly eaten in Kerala and in
Dakshina Kannada and
Udupi district of
Karnataka state, India. Some natives of these region settled elsewhere also prefer Matta rice as staple food.
Arroz da terra, an heirloom red rice cultivated in Northeastern
Brazil (States of
Rio Grande do Norte and
Paraíba) since the 16th century.[5]
Malaysia red rice varieties are Udang Besar, Udang Halus, Katek Merah, Silah Merah, MRQ98, MRQ99, MRQ 100 and UKMRC-9. UKMRC-9 is the new red rice varieties in
Malaysia, developed through
plant breeding program.