Bomba rice ( es, arroz bomba; va, arròs bomba) is a short-grain variety of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

(''

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 ...

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

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It is commonly used in

paella Paella (, , , , , ) is a rice dish originally from Valencian Community, Valencia. While non-Spaniards commonly view it as Spain's national dish, Spaniards almost unanimously consider it to be a dish from the Valencian community, Valencian region ...

and other dishes in

Valencian cuisine 250px, '' 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 is famous worldwide for its rices, su ...

, and is often referred to as Valencia rice. It has short grains due to the presence 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 amylopl ...

Characteristics

Bomba rice is believed to have originated from an

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n variety which was brought to the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

via the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. 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 20–30%. Because of its tightly packed helical structure, amylose ...

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'' (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 or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

, Pego and

Pals PALS may refer to: * Patient Advice and Liaison Service * Pediatric Advanced Life Support * Periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths * Portraits of American Life Study * Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy * Pouch Attachment Ladder System * Prag ...

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 varie ...

References

{{commons category, Bomba rice Rice

Characteristics

See also

References