Calrose is a medium grain

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 ...

variety, notable for being the founding variety of the California rice industry.

History

Calrose (USDA # C.I. 8988) originated from and was developed at the Rice Experiment Station near

Biggs, California Biggs (formerly Biggs Station) is a city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 1,964 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 1,707 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Geography Biggs is locate ...

, and released to California growers in 1948. It grew in popularity with growers, marketers, and consumers to become the prominent rice variety in California until the late 1970s. Specific processing and cooking properties were associated with Calrose. Over the years, improved new varieties of Calrose grain cooking and processing characteristics were released. These medium-sized grains were commingled with Calrose in storage, and later replaced the variety in commercial production, due to their superior performance at many levels. Although that variety of Calrose is no longer grown, Calrose has become a name recognized both in trade and the marketplace for the California-type, medium-grain rice. The name "rose" indicates its medium-grain shape ("Blue Rose" is an earlier medium-grain developed in Louisiana), and "Cal" pays homage to California, the state of the grain’s origin and production. Eighty percent of the California rice crop is Calrose rice.

Availability

Calrose rice is the most recognized variety of California rice in the United States and abroad, especially in the Pacific. The variety is grown in other areas of the world where growing conditions are suitable, such as

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. After cooking, Calrose rice grains are soft and stick together, making it good for use in

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 ...

. Calrose was once a much sought-after variety in Korea, where it was considered exotic. There was even a

black market A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...

for the variety, and it was smuggled in in large quantities.

Millers/marketers

The following are the top suppliers of Calrose Rice: * SunWest Foods * ADM Inc. * California Family Foods * American Commodity Company * Farmers' Rice Cooperative * Pacific International Rice Mills * Far West Rice * SunFoods/Hinode Rice * Sun Valley Rice * California Heritage Rice Mills * Lundberg Family Farms * Polit Farms Inc

References

External links

California Rice Commission
{{Authority control Agriculture in California Japonica rice Rice production in the United States