Broken rice is fragments of rice grains, broken in the field, during drying, during transport, or during milling. Mechanical separators are used to separate the broken grains from the whole grains and sort them by size. Broken rice is fragmented, not defective; so there is nothing wrong with it. It is as nutritious as the equivalent quantity of unbroken rice (i.e. if all the

germ Germ or germs may refer to: Science * Germ (microorganism), an informal word for a pathogen * Germ cell, cell that gives rise to the gametes of an organism that reproduces sexually * Germ layer, a primary layer of cells that forms during embryo ...

and

bran Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the hard outer layers of cereal grain. It consists of the combined aleurone and pericarp. Corn (maize) bran also includes the pedicel (tip cap). Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, ...

remains, it is as nutritious as

brown rice Brown rice is a whole grain rice with the inedible outer hull removed. This kind of rice sheds its outer hull or husk but the bran and germ layer remain on, constituting the brown or tan colour of rice. White rice is the same grain without the h ...

; if none remains, it is only as nutritious as

white rice White rice is milled rice that has had its husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture and appearance of the rice and helps prevent spoilage, extend its storage life, and makes it easier to digest. After milling ( hulling), t ...

). Broken rice has a long history; Ibn Baṭṭūṭa mentions rice

couscous Couscous ( '; ber, ⵙⴽⵙⵓ, translit=Seksu) – sometimes called kusksi or kseksu – is a Maghrebi dish of small steamed granules of rolled durum wheat semolina that is often served with a stew spooned on top. Pearl millet, sorghum, ...

in the area of

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

in 1350, presumably made of African rice.

Milling

Broken rice from a

rice huller A rice huller or rice husker is an agricultural machine used to automate the process of removing the chaff (the outer husks) of grains of rice. Throughout history, there have been numerous techniques to hull rice. Traditionally, it would be p ...

will be brown whole grain; broken rice from a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

may be white. On milling, ''

Oryza sativa ''Oryza sativa'', commonly known as Asian rice or indica rice, is the plant species most commonly referred to in English as ''rice''. It is the type of farmed rice whose cultivars are most common globally, and was first domesticated in the Yan ...

'', commonly known as Asian rice or paddy rice, produces around 50% whole rice then approximately 16% broken rice, 20% husk, 14% bran and meal. African rice, ''

Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown in West Africa around 3,000 years ago. In agriculture, it has largely been replaced by higher-yielding Asian r ...

'', has more brittle grains, and breakage is higher.

Human consumption

Due to the different size and shape of the grains, broken rice has a different, softer texture from "unbroken" rice, and absorbs flavours more easily. It cooks faster, using less fuel, and can be used to make rice

porridges Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...

and congees, which need long cooking times. The broken varieties are often less expensive, and so are preferred by poorer consumers, but they are also eaten by choice, with some cookbooks describing how to break unbroken rice to produce the desired texture or speed cooking. Broken rice is consumed as part of local cuisine in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

(where the traditional African rice is easier to break), Thailand, Bangladesh and elsewhere in South East Asia. In Vietnam, (literally "broken rice") is a popular rice dish with pork.

Thieboudienne ''Tiep'' or ''thieb'' is a traditional dish from Senegal that is also consumed in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and The Gambia. It is the national dish in Senegal. The version of tiep called ''thieboudienne'' or ''chebu jen'' ( wo, ...

is a popular dish in west Africa often made with broken rice. Broken rice is called ''rice grist'' or in South Carolina. In Bangladesh it is called khood. It is typically dressed with roasted peppers, garlic and mustard oil before having it on its own or with a side dish - usually the previous night's leftovers.

Industrial uses

Very small broken rice is called brewers' rice, as

brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer ...

s have traditionally used it, although it is also sold to other users. For example, broken rice can be used by the pet food industry, and for livestock feeding and aquaculture. Broken rice is also used to make starch which is used as laundry starch and in foods, cosmetics and textile manufacture.Martin Brink, G. Belay ''Cereals and Pulses'' 2006 - Page 113 "Oryza sativa – planted about 800–900 AD, to West Africa. The final penetration of Oryza sativa into ... Starch made from broken rice is used as laundry starch and in foods, cosmetics and textile manufacture. Beers, wines and spirits are made ..."

References

{{African cuisine Rice varieties Staple foods Indian cuisine Senegalese cuisine Mauritanian cuisine Nigerien cuisine Vietnamese cuisine Southeast Asian cuisine