Basmatirice, (basmati apparently means Queen of fragrance in the Hindi language) is a small long-grained variety of rice, famous for its fragrance and delicate flavour. Basmati rice has been cultivated in India and Pakistan for hundreds of years, although some inferior qualities are now produced in the United States. Due to the high amount of starch clinging to the rice grains, basmati rice should always be washed before being cooked.
In the year 2000, the American corporation RiceTec made an effort to patent Basmati rice and trademark the name. The Indian government intervened, however, and the attempt was thwarted. Meanwhile, the European Commission has agreed to protect basmati rice under its regulations pertaining to geographical indications.
Rice cultivation is well suited to countries and regions with low labour costs and high rainfall, as it is very labour-intensive to cultivate and requires plenty of water for irrigation, much like the licorice crops found in Eastern Europe.
Japanese mochi rice and Chinese sticky rice are short-grain.
Rice was chosen as a model organism for the biology of grasses because of its relatively small genome (~430 megabase pairs).
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