Grains ── Rice varieties
Kuromai
an anthocyanin-rich rice used since antiquity
An ancient rice group said to carry anthocyanins in its blackish-purple bran; mixed sparingly with white rice, it's said to tint the pot purple, and was once treated as medicinal. Long treated in China as a 'medicinal rice', it's said to be drawing renewed attention for its nutritional profile.
What it's made of
Said to be a category of ancient rice whose blackish-purple seed coat or pericarp carries anthocyanin pigments. Mixed in small proportion with white rice, the pigment is said to dissolve into the cooking water and tint the whole pot purple. Its bran is also said to carry B vitamins and vitamin E, along with minerals like phosphorus and calcium. Cooked, the pot is said to take on a light purple tint, offering an aroma and texture different from plain white rice. Said to vary in the depth of its purple tint depending on the specific variety.
How it's made
Like red rice, said to be an old landrace category, more often cooked mixed a few percent into white rice than cooked alone. Said to be typically eaten unmilled, bran layer and all. Said to be milled less than white rice, typically sold with much of its bran layer left intact. Depending on the use, several different black rice varieties are also said to be chosen among.
Why it took this shape
In ancient China it was known as 'purple rice' or 'black glutinous rice', said to have been made into alcohol as well as used in Chinese medicine and as nourishment for new mothers — a rice said to carry a long history as a medicinal food. Its anthocyanins are said to have antioxidant properties, and it's said to be drawing renewed attention in Japan for its nutritional value as well. Amid rising health consciousness, it's said to increasingly appear on Japanese shelves under names like 'ancient rice mix'.
Before you go
- Foods to look for in autumnA guide to foods often seen in Japan around autumn — returning bonito, Pacific saury, new-crop rice, matsutake, chestnuts, and tsukimi dango — with rough pointers for finding them.
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
- Setsubun: ehomaki and lucky beansA guide to ehomaki, the uncut sushi roll said to be eaten facing a lucky direction on Setsubun, and to mamemaki, the bean-throwing custom with roasted lucky beans.
Dishes in the same style
- AkamaiAn ancient category of rice said to carry a reddish bran layer; low-yielding but tied, it's said, to Shinto harvest rituals still kept at shrines like those on Tsushima. Traces of red rice are said to have been found at Jomon- and Yayoi-era sites, making it among Japan's oldest rice lineages.
- AkitakomachiA Koshihikari cross bred for Akita's cool climate, said to carry a lighter sweetness and moderate stickiness, long favored as an everyday table rice. Named, it's said, after the legendary beauty Ono no Komachi, it ranks among Japan's most widely planted varieties.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Contrast
- HimenomochiA mochi rice said to be smooth on the palate and resistant to cracking when pounded; bred in Kumamoto and widely grown across Kyushu. Said to be one of the mainstay varieties supporting mochi-rice production in western Japan.
- AkamaiAn ancient category of rice said to carry a reddish bran layer; low-yielding but tied, it's said, to Shinto harvest rituals still kept at shrines like those on Tsushima. Traces of red rice are said to have been found at Jomon- and Yayoi-era sites, making it among Japan's oldest rice lineages.