Hito Me Bore

Love at first taste would be the proper axiom for this rice, but the farmers in Miyagi who grow it chose to name it “Hito Me Bore” love at first sight. I know I was in love after the first bite and the sight of it, the sight of this hot steamy rice in my plate, alongside a nice juicy steak was enough for me to agree with both titles. “ Love at first sight and love at first taste.”

What is rice anyway ? And what’s with all the fuss over name brand ? For starters, rice is an edible grain which is the primary food source for half the people in the world. Quality of rice is measured in many different ways. Some experts measure rice according to its attributes: stickiness-to-lips, roughness, hardness, and cohesiveness, tooth packing/tooth stickiness, and cohesiveness of mass, all of which is designed to confused the reader and the author. What’s important is to keep it simple. Take for example Koshihikari, the signature rice of Japan, and the single most recognizeable Japanese rice grain in the world, is a short grain sticky rice known for its delicious taste and good texture. In it’s simplest form just imagine rice as being these tiny little food sponges that absorb the taste and aroma of food

The higher water retentive attribute of each rice grain, the higher flavor yielding potential of the rice itself. Thus, when a sushi chef wants to bring out all the flavors in his sushi he uses a rice grain that can better absorb the taste of vinegar( vinegar is used on rice [sushimeshi] for many reasons, one reason is to make the sushi more flavorsome). In many respect, koshihikari would be ideal for sushi.

According to the national ranking here in Japan, Koshihikari remains ranked as #1, but the Japanese tend not to get carried away with national ranking like some stereotypes would lead the average person to believe. Instead, the Japanese adopt a philosophy that everything in Japan, and as long as it’s grown here, tastes good. And it’s only until recently that the Japanese have been buying koshihikari, which has more to do with affordability than luxury. Hito Me Bore, is ranked #2 and is enjoyed more by local people than any other name brand. This rice exhibits all the same qualities as a koshihikari, but if I had to identify one quality that sets this rice grain apart then I would say its aroma sets it apart The texture, which really depends on how you cook it, is also notable. I love rice with great aroma and texture. I love my rice plain and simple too. The rice you see in the picture is organically grown pride of Miyagi prefecture is worthy of mention.

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