Basmati is a Sanskrit word meaning "fragrant". Basmati rice has been cultivated in the Indian Subcontinent for thousands of years and originates from North India and present day Pakistan. Basmati was introduced to the Middle East by various Indian traders. Through cultural exchange, it remains not only an important part of various Indian cuisines but now is also used extensively in Persian and other Middle Eastern cuisines. India continues to be the largest cultivator of this rice.
Basmati Rice is a simple grain, yet throughout history it has been on royal menus of various cultures as the main dish. From the pilav of Turkey, polou of Persia, pilafs of the Steppes, the isotos and paellas of the Mediterranean, to the pulau of Pakistan it has been served to great sultans, maharajahs, shahs and emperors. Spices, nuts, dried fruits, vegetables and herbs are a natural for Basmati rice. Basmati rice transforms rice dishes into extraordinary meals.
Also known as the "Queen of Rice", this highly aromatic grain that is long and elegantly thin, has originated from Vasumati which means earth recognized by its fragrance. The full exposition of the word is from Hindi. Bas originating from Prakrit Vas which has a sanskrit root- Vasay connoting aroma; and mati from mayup meaning ingrained from the origin. Common usage has changed Vas to Bas while joining bas and mayup the latter changed to mati.. Thus the word Basmati originated.
According to Ayurveda, Basmati, the king of all varieties of rice, is saatvic or pure, is nourishing for the body tissues and is easy to digest.
Basmati Rice has been cultivated at the foot of the Himalayan mountain ranges in India for thousands of years. The rivers Yamuna and Sutluj irrigate the Basmati paddy fields in Haryana and Punjab respectively. To obtain the correct aroma and flavor of Basmati rice, proper ageing is required to reduce its moisture content. The best quality Basmati rice comes from the old Karnal district, known as the 'rice bowl of India'. Basmati is now grown in Karnal, Panipat, Kaithal, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts of Haryana.It is also grown in Punjab, Dehradoon region of Uttranchal & Jammu region of Jammu & Kashmir.
There are several varieties of basmati rice. Traditional Indian types include basmati 370, basmati 385, and basmati Ranbirsinghpura (R.S.Pura). Pakistani varieties of basmati rice are PK 385, 1121 Extra Long Grain Rice, Super Kernel Basmati Rice and D-98.
Top ten Varieties are
Basmati 386
Pusa Basmati – 1
Basmati 217
Pusa Basmati 1121
Ranbir Basmati
Punjab Basmati – 1
Karnal Local or Taraori Basmati
Haryana Basmati – 1
Basmati 370
Kasturi and Mahi Sugandha
Type 3 or Dehradooni Basmati
Scientists at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi, genetically modified basmati to produce a hybrid semi-dwarf plant which had most of the good features of traditional basmati (grain elongation, fragrance, alkali content). This hybrid was called Pusa Basmati-1 (PB1; also called "Todal", because the flower has awns); crop yield is up to twice as high as traditional varieties. Fragrant rices that are derived from basmati stock but are not true basmati varieties include PB2 (also called sugandh-2), PB3, and RH-10.
The areas of basmati rice production in India are in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan (hadoti belt),Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. India's total basmati production for the 2011/12 crop year that ended June was 5 million tonnes. In Pakistan, 95% of the basmati rice cultivation takes place in the province of Punjab, where total production was 2.47 million tonnes in 2010. In India, Haryana is the major basmati rice cultivating state, producing more than 60% of the total basmati rice produced in India.
In September 1997 Texas, USA company RiceTec was granted U.S. Patent No. 5,663,484 on "basmati rice lines and grains." The patent secures lines of basmati and basmati-like rice and ways of analyzing that rice. RiceTec, owned by Prince Hans-Adam of Liechtenstein, faced international outrage over allegations of biopiracy. It had also caused a brief diplomatic crisis between India and United States with India threatening to take the matter to WTO as a violation of TRIPS which could have resulted in a major embarrassment for the United States. Both voluntarily and due to review decisions by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, RiceTec lost or withdrew most of the claims of the patent, including, most importantly, the right to call their rice lines "basmati." A more limited varietal patent was granted to RiceTec in 2001 on claims dealing with three strains of the rice developed by the company
View the types of Basmati Rice Brands available in Mustafa Centre
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