Bomba rice (; ) is a short-grain variety of

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

(''

Oryza sativa ''Oryza sativa'', having the common name Asian cultivated rice, is the much more common of the two rice species cultivated as a cereal, the other species being ''Oryza glaberrima, O. glaberrima'', African rice. It was History of rice cultivation ...

'' L.), primarily cultivated in the eastern parts of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is commonly used in

paella Paella (, , , , ; ) is a rice dish originally from the Valencian Community. ''Paella'' is regarded as one of the community's identifying symbols. It is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. The dish takes its name from the wide, sha ...

and other dishes in

Valencian cuisine image:OrangeBloss wb.jpg, 250px, Orange (fruit), Oranges, typical fruit from Valencian Community Valencian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine as cooked in the Valencian Community, Spain. Its basic ingredients are vegetables, seafood and meat. It ...

, and is often referred to as Valencia rice. Bomba is considered a short to medium grain variety of rice, but unlike other short grain varieties, it has a relatively low content of

Amylopectin Amylopectin is a water-insoluble polysaccharide and highly branched polymer of α-glucose units found in plants. It is one of the two components of starch, the other being amylose. Plants store starch within specialized organelles called amyloplas ...

, meaning it does not become sticky when cooked (like

Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

rice) nor does it thicken the cooking fluid (like

Arborio rice Arborio rice is an Italian medium-grain rice. It is named after the ''comune'' (municipality) of Arborio, in the Po Valley, which is situated in the Piedmont region. When cooked, the rounded grains are firm, creamy and chewy compared to other v ...

Characteristics

Bomba rice is believed to have originated from an

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n variety which was brought to the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

via the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. It is known for its nonstick properties due to its high

amylose Amylose is a polysaccharide made of α-D-glucose units, bonded to each other through α(1→4) glycosidic bonds. It is one of the two components of starch, making up approximately 20–25% of it. Because of its tightly packed Helix, helical struct ...

content. It is short grained with a pearly white color and a uniform consistency. One important property of bomba is its ability to absorb two or three times its volume in water without bursting. As a result, more water is needed to cook bomba than other similar varieties, and the grains of rice tend to hold their structure well after cooking. Bomba is one of the most expensive varieties of rice from Spain, especially the ''

Denominación de Origen In Spain and Latin America, the (; )In other languages of Spain: * Catalan: (). * (). * (). is part of a regulatory geographical indication system used primarily for foodstuffs such as cheeses, condiments, honey, and meats, among others. ...

'' (D.O.) varieties from

Calasparra Calasparra () is a municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia, Spain. It shares borders with Cieza, Mula, Cehegín, Moratalla and province of Albacete. History There were people living in Calasparra during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Th ...

and

Moratalla Moratalla is a small town and the center of a large municipality of the same name in the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia in southeastern Spain. In 2018, the population of Moratalla was 7,944: some 5,600 in the town of Moratalla itsel ...

. Other well-known regions for bomba rice include

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

, Pego and Pals with

Pals Rice Pals rice is a rice produced in Empordà and is sold under the name "Arroz de Pals". It is a top quality rice. The most well-known rice varieties that are cultivated in Pals include the traditional varieties of Bahia and Bomba and the newer vari ...

References

{{commons category, Bomba rice Rice varieties

Characteristics

See also

References