Microseason: Rice Fields Drain

AUTUMN

AUTUMN EQUINOX

RICE FIELDS DRAIN

3 - 7 October

Over Summer, the country’s rice supply becomes scarce as we enjoy the final bites of last year’s bounty and prepare for rice harvest season.

Talk of shinmai, or new rice, is on everyone’s lips. Our kitchens await the freshest delivery from our favorite farmer. While sun-dried, shinmai is still lush with moisture and produces the most plump, glossy steamed rice. I suspect most Japanese people will say that there is no greater luxury than a bowl of just-off-the-stove shinmai steamed in earthen cookware.

The past year’s rice becomes categorized as komai, or old rice. Not very well received at all. The new comer is praised for its soft texture and bounce. While komai becomes something of the past, stale, an old hat. And sometimes discounted.

However, rice farmers all across the Japanese countryside have informed me of a little secret. Komai is actually much richer and tastier than shinmai.

The negative perception of komai likely became a shared notion in the 1700s when not just the aristocrats but commoners too began removing the bran to make white rice. Once the bran is removed, the rice slowly loses its flavor so cooking straight away is imperitve. Storing with the bran in tact is technically the best method, however, during warmer months insects and mice can come searching for the brown rice. But now with the invention of cool storage solutions like the refrigerator, storing brown rice in temperature and humidity-controlled environments is fully possible.

While rice farmers work a full year to ensure that the entire country can indulge in shinmai this time of year, many of them safely save a bit of their harvest each year.

My rice farmer friends are now ready to share this secret with the world and have asked me to rename komai to jyukumai, or aged rice. What’s in a name? Perceived value. Allowing for space to educate that we can in fact create vintages and enjoy the unique notes of each rice harvest. This is something that we can all help to achieve. Komai is different but just as valuable as shinmai.

Not only can we help guarantee that no rice grain goes to waste, but that it will be fully appreciated and financially-valued too.

Photo credit: Momoko Nakamura