Why is Northeast rice delicious?

Chinese people like to eat white rice. Where is the best rice? The answers vary, but most people will tell you: choose northeast rice.

Nowadays, as long as you walk into the supermarkets everywhere, you will be able to see various brands of northeast rice listed on the supermarket shelves. Even in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, known as the "hometown of rice", rice in Northeast China is also very popular.

So why can northeast rice sell so well? Why does northeast rice taste better in the eyes of most people? What is the secret of this? A few days ago, the reporter conducted a related interview.

Status quo: northeast rice sells well all over the country, accounting for 25% of the market share

Ms. Li, from Jilin, is now a reporter for a newspaper in Beijing and an absolute fan of rice in the northeast. "I often travel on business, travel to many places across the country, and eat a lot of local rice, but in my opinion, the most delicious rice is our rice in the northeast." Ms. Li told reporters that after living in Beijing for so many years, the rice she eats is basically brought from her hometown.

Coincidentally, Chen Peng, a Liaoning native who works in a state-owned enterprise in Guangzhou, also travels around the country with rice from her hometown, just like Ms. Li. "when I graduated from college, when the whole family heard that I was going to work in Guangzhou, their first reaction was, 'what about dinner?' They think that rice in the south can be eaten, but it is not as delicious as rice in the northeast. After I arrived in Guangzhou, I did have this feeling. Now it is basically my old family who send me rice. " Chen Peng told reporters.

It is believed that northeast rice is not only delicious for northeastern people, but also popular in many places in the south of our country. According to relevant statistics, northeast rice currently accounts for 25% of China's rice market, and in some grain-importing areas in the south, the sales of northeast rice are also increasing year by year. Among the top ten well-known rice brands in the country, several famous rice brands in Northeast China are shortlisted. In particular, rice flower fragrant rice from Wuchang in Heilongjiang has already become a typical representative of northeast rice moving towards the national market.

Decryption: Rice cultivation is different between the north and the south, and many factors lead to quality differences.

So, what is the delicacy of northeast rice? Is there a scientific basis for its delicacy?

The reporter randomly interviewed several citizens who are buying northeast rice in some supermarkets in Beijing. most people think that northeast rice is better than the taste, "chewy, with a unique aroma of rice." Is it the magic weapon of northeast rice that tastes good?

Xu Jianlong, a researcher at the Institute of crop Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, who has long been engaged in rice molecular breeding, affirmed this answer. He explained: "there are indica rice and japonica rice. Indica rice is suitable for planting in humid and hot areas at low latitudes and low elevations, while japonica rice is more suitable for high altitude planting at high latitudes or low latitudes. Japonica rice varieties are generally planted in the late season of double cropping rice areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and to the north of the Yellow River, while indica rice varieties are generally planted in southern China. Generally speaking, the stickiness of indica rice is poor, the content of amylose is higher and rice is hard, while the stickiness of japonica rice is better, the content of amylose is lower and rice is softer. Therefore, the palatability or taste of japonica rice is generally better than that of indica rice. Northeast rice is japonica rice and southern rice is indica rice, so on the whole, northeast rice is better than southern rice. "

The difference in taste is determined by the characteristics of varieties, which is the first important factor. In addition to the differences in varieties, Xu Jianlong believes that the palatability or taste of rice is also closely related to the geographical environment of varieties and producing areas. "it is also japonica rice, and the japonica rice produced in Northeast China is better than that produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. This is mainly caused by the difference of climatic conditions in the producing area. The rice in Northeast China has a long growing period, sufficient temperature and light, a large temperature difference between day and night, and a long and sufficient grain filling time, coupled with the fertile black soil in Northeast China, which makes the japonica rice produced in Northeast China taste better. "

It is understood that during the rice planting period, after the temperature in Northeast China is high during the day and low at night, and the temperature difference is large, its average temperature can be controlled between 21 ℃ and 22 ℃, which is the easiest to form high-quality rice varieties, while the average temperature in the south is more than 30 ℃, and the quality is relatively poor. In addition, due to the black soil in the northeast, the use of nitrogen fertilizer is relatively low, and nitrogen fertilizer is applied in the process of rice production in the south, which will also affect the quality of rice.

Future: southern rice can be equally delicious, functional rice may be available.

In fact, in addition to indica rice and japonica rice, we can also see some indica-japonica hybrid rice in the market. Xu Jianlong said: "Hybrid rice is a generation of seeds produced by crossing a female male sterile line with a male parent restorer line. Generally speaking, whether it is indica hybrid rice or japonica hybrid rice, the taste of hybrid rice is not as good as that of conventional indica rice or japonica rice. Because of the strong heterosis between indica and japonica, the yield heterosis of indica-japonica hybrid rice is very obvious, but the quality of indica-japonica hybrid rice is generally poor, even worse than that of indica rice with poor rice quality. "

Xu Jianlong believes that the taste of rice varies from person to person, generally southerners like to eat indica rice, northerners like to eat japonica rice, this is a long-term habit. However, in recent years, the cultivation of japonica rice also has a tendency to expand from north to south. There is also a potential trend in rice consumption, that is, people who used to like indica rice gradually get used to eating japonica rice and do not want to eat indica rice, but those who used to like japonica rice still want to eat indica rice. It also shows that on the whole, japonica rice tastes better than indica rice.

So, in the future, is it possible that southern rice is as delicious as northeastern rice? Xu Jianlong also gave an affirmative answer to this. He told reporters: "through the scientific breeding of varieties, the palatability of southern indica rice has been greatly improved in recent years, such as indica soft rice and fragrant soft rice. With the improvement of people's living standards, we should not only eat well, but also eat healthily. Rice quality improvement also shows a diversified trend, such as selected hypoallergenic rice to prevent allergy, diabetic rice to prevent elevated blood sugar, low phosphatized rice to prevent renal insufficiency and osteoporosis caused by calcium deficiency, vitamin A-rich rice to prevent night blindness and iron-rich rice to prevent anemia, etc., thus providing a variety of choices for consumers of different groups. "

It is reported that at present, rice experts in China have made certain achievements in rice quality research, and functional rice with better functional taste and more beneficial to health will be eaten in the future.