Rice is pretty versatile too. It’s just that western countries only use rice as an alternative to mashed potatoes with meat. That’s basically the only purpose for rice in the west. Doesn’t have to though. Just check what they’re doing with rice in Japan.
Most of the southeast of the US would like a word. It was a cash crop down there for a long time, no thanks to slavery of course but true nonetheless. Most notable in Cajun cooking especially nowdays, but there are a lot of traditional rice based dishes in the Carolinas and other southeastern states. I eat hoppin john on new years for the black eyed peas good luck :)
What I meant to say is that rice tends to keep its form in the West. It’s cooked and mixed with a variety of different things. What you see on the plate can immediately be identified as rice.
Asian countries get very creative by turning it into flour or paste and using that like any other ingredient. Just like butter, sugar, or salt could be encountered anywhere, rice can hide just about anywhere. You would never know unless you made that food.
Mochi: Japanese. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. Also Koreans do something similar.
Rice noodles: Uncooked rice is ground into flour and then rebuilt into a new shape.
Rice paper: Vietnamese thing. Same idea, different shape.
Puffed rice: Popular in many countries.
Rice crackers: East Asian, cooked rice flour
Arròs negre: Spanish thing, squid ink + rice
Nian gao: Chinese new year cakes
Arancini: Italian rice balls
Appam: South Indian pancakes
Jiuniang: Chinese fermented sweet soup
There are also many alcoholic beverages made of rice.
Yes, there are European rice meals too. Most of them keep the original shape of rice and serve it all the usual foods. Risotto is no exception. It’s just a slight variation to the familiar theme. The foods I put on that list are highly unusual by western standards as the food doesn’t actively remind you of its origin.
I mean, you have to add to potatoes too if you want to get real flavor out of them. That versatility means little without salt and pepper. Frying can help but you can fry rice too.
Sake is fermented rice wine, as smooth as a good vodka in my opinion.
One of my favorite rice based dishes is a rice and coconut pancake from south India called appam. Paired with the right curry it’s the perfect balance of savory with just a touch of sweetness.
Staples are staples for a reason. They’re all incredibly versatile.
“The west” is litterally the greatest Global Village in the world with a bit of everyone from everywhere. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian restaurants abound, and it doesn’t stop there. Let’s not gatekeep rice like it’s some strange mystery.
Sure but we also should not exaggerate the inclusivity of “the West” The availability of international restaurants has little influence on what people outside of diaspora groups are making in their kitchen. Consumption is one thing but when it comes to household cooking a lot of the perception of rice here is limited to risotto at best and Uncle Ben’s at worst. That’s not even getting into the fact that a lot of the cuisines you listed were looked down upon in the West until as recently as thirty years ago (and some still are).
I can’t relate to this at all. Sure, its annecdotal, but in Toronto, our restaurant diversity is second to none. My neighbourhoods grocers, in addition to the Canadian staple oligopolies, also has an abundance of smaller ethnic grocers within walking distance of my house. Chinese, Indian, African, Middle-Eastern etc.
As a white dude, I literally shop the world and cook the world using imported products and ingredients. Though I admit, we are lucky to be at the forefront of this globally.
We’re spoiled here. Unlike say, the US where immigrant communities Americanize ethnic foods to cater to the local palate, our food scene is by expats, for expats and everyone else is welcome to join them. Dishes are as authentic as they can be right down to regional variations. E.g. Gudjarati Vegetarian, Hyderabad biryani, Chettinad cuisine, Cantonese, vs Taiwanese vs Hakka, Japanese or Korean and pretty much everywhere else.
I’ll admit you have a point but only in that when travelling, “The West” is not a monolith., Most of Europe is quite a bit behind us in this regard; France, Germany and Poland, Portugal etc. They have such excellent local cuisines, authentic ethnic is limited to enclaves and has a slight homoginization with local traditions. A special shoutout to the UK who have reliably great Indian and Carribean cuisine even way outside of London. Then the US is generally a disaster as almost everything is Americanized and authenticity is murdered.
Its a broad generalization with exceptions of course, but as a Canadian, especially from Toronto, your characterizations sound silly from my perspective.
Yes I have lived and dined in Toronto. I remember Ossington street very fondly. But I consider these to be exceptions as you have rightfully acknowledged as anecdotal. You have a decent chance of getting authentic international cuisine in cities like NYC, Toronto and London but this is not where most Westerners live. Most Westerners live where they’re in some way getting a watered down version of international cuisine.
I’ve lived in smaller Canadian and American cities also. You’ll be fine if you’re ok with pizza, burgers (nothing wrong with that) and Americanized Chinese/Mexican of significantly variable quality. Once you go outside of those bounds it’s an adventure and often not a pleasant one.
We will have to disagree. NYC is interesting, but little is authentic. I traveled frequently for business.
As for Canada, it has spread to most cities over the last 20 years. You can get great Indian and Chinese in North Bay, Kingston, London, Windsor, Surrey, Burnaby, Winnipeg, Prince George and Beyond. Nothing like the GTA and Vancouver, but miles ahead of anywhere else. The UK is in second place with diverse authentic options in and more importantly outside of London.
None of this is to pick a fight exactly, just to say “Westerners don’t get rice” doesn’t resonate. Replace westerners with Americans and I won’t argue.
It’s available, but generally speaking people don’t even realize what it could be used for. Many westerners have actually eaten rice in a variety forms because of the reasons you mentioned.
When you eat at an Indian restaurant, you’ll just eat the strange little cakes without realizing that they’re actually made of rice. That’s not what people think when they hear the word rice.
Rice is pretty versatile too. It’s just that western countries only use rice as an alternative to mashed potatoes with meat. That’s basically the only purpose for rice in the west. Doesn’t have to though. Just check what they’re doing with rice in Japan.
Most of the southeast of the US would like a word. It was a cash crop down there for a long time, no thanks to slavery of course but true nonetheless. Most notable in Cajun cooking especially nowdays, but there are a lot of traditional rice based dishes in the Carolinas and other southeastern states. I eat hoppin john on new years for the black eyed peas good luck :)
What I meant to say is that rice tends to keep its form in the West. It’s cooked and mixed with a variety of different things. What you see on the plate can immediately be identified as rice.
Asian countries get very creative by turning it into flour or paste and using that like any other ingredient. Just like butter, sugar, or salt could be encountered anywhere, rice can hide just about anywhere. You would never know unless you made that food.
I like rice
can you give some examples?
Mochi: Japanese. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. Also Koreans do something similar.
Rice noodles: Uncooked rice is ground into flour and then rebuilt into a new shape.
Rice paper: Vietnamese thing. Same idea, different shape.
Puffed rice: Popular in many countries.
Rice crackers: East Asian, cooked rice flour
Arròs negre: Spanish thing, squid ink + rice
Nian gao: Chinese new year cakes
Arancini: Italian rice balls
Appam: South Indian pancakes
Jiuniang: Chinese fermented sweet soup
There are also many alcoholic beverages made of rice.
See also: OMG, there are so many
Don’t forget about Risotto! Saffron risotto, etc etc
Yes, there are European rice meals too. Most of them keep the original shape of rice and serve it all the usual foods. Risotto is no exception. It’s just a slight variation to the familiar theme. The foods I put on that list are highly unusual by western standards as the food doesn’t actively remind you of its origin.
Rice wine and vinegar.
i like rice noodles.
Shout out also to tteokbokki.
That’s a good example. Doesn’t look anything like rice.
It’s from India, not Japan, but biryani is amazing.
looks like just rice but with stuff added to me
maybe I don’t understand rice
I mean… yeah. What are you expecting?
I dunno man
I’m in a thread where potatoes are praised for their versatility
someone says rice is too
and then it’s all just rice with something added to it
eggspring roll wrappers)Horchata
I always forget that is rice based.
rice porridge when you are sick, and cant handle solids.
I mean, you have to add to potatoes too if you want to get real flavor out of them. That versatility means little without salt and pepper. Frying can help but you can fry rice too.
Sake is fermented rice wine, as smooth as a good vodka in my opinion.
One of my favorite rice based dishes is a rice and coconut pancake from south India called appam. Paired with the right curry it’s the perfect balance of savory with just a touch of sweetness.
Staples are staples for a reason. They’re all incredibly versatile.
Sugar Smacks
It’s Japan, so probably some wild kinky shit.
Rice paper?
“The west” is litterally the greatest Global Village in the world with a bit of everyone from everywhere. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian restaurants abound, and it doesn’t stop there. Let’s not gatekeep rice like it’s some strange mystery.
Sure but we also should not exaggerate the inclusivity of “the West” The availability of international restaurants has little influence on what people outside of diaspora groups are making in their kitchen. Consumption is one thing but when it comes to household cooking a lot of the perception of rice here is limited to risotto at best and Uncle Ben’s at worst. That’s not even getting into the fact that a lot of the cuisines you listed were looked down upon in the West until as recently as thirty years ago (and some still are).
I can’t relate to this at all. Sure, its annecdotal, but in Toronto, our restaurant diversity is second to none. My neighbourhoods grocers, in addition to the Canadian staple oligopolies, also has an abundance of smaller ethnic grocers within walking distance of my house. Chinese, Indian, African, Middle-Eastern etc.
As a white dude, I literally shop the world and cook the world using imported products and ingredients. Though I admit, we are lucky to be at the forefront of this globally.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/world/canada/toronto-restaurants-immigration-multiculturalism.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/travel/toronto-ethnic-food.html
https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2026/09/torontos-food-shoutout-new-york-times/
We’re spoiled here. Unlike say, the US where immigrant communities Americanize ethnic foods to cater to the local palate, our food scene is by expats, for expats and everyone else is welcome to join them. Dishes are as authentic as they can be right down to regional variations. E.g. Gudjarati Vegetarian, Hyderabad biryani, Chettinad cuisine, Cantonese, vs Taiwanese vs Hakka, Japanese or Korean and pretty much everywhere else.
I’ll admit you have a point but only in that when travelling, “The West” is not a monolith., Most of Europe is quite a bit behind us in this regard; France, Germany and Poland, Portugal etc. They have such excellent local cuisines, authentic ethnic is limited to enclaves and has a slight homoginization with local traditions. A special shoutout to the UK who have reliably great Indian and Carribean cuisine even way outside of London. Then the US is generally a disaster as almost everything is Americanized and authenticity is murdered.
Its a broad generalization with exceptions of course, but as a Canadian, especially from Toronto, your characterizations sound silly from my perspective.
Yes I have lived and dined in Toronto. I remember Ossington street very fondly. But I consider these to be exceptions as you have rightfully acknowledged as anecdotal. You have a decent chance of getting authentic international cuisine in cities like NYC, Toronto and London but this is not where most Westerners live. Most Westerners live where they’re in some way getting a watered down version of international cuisine.
I’ve lived in smaller Canadian and American cities also. You’ll be fine if you’re ok with pizza, burgers (nothing wrong with that) and Americanized Chinese/Mexican of significantly variable quality. Once you go outside of those bounds it’s an adventure and often not a pleasant one.
We will have to disagree. NYC is interesting, but little is authentic. I traveled frequently for business.
As for Canada, it has spread to most cities over the last 20 years. You can get great Indian and Chinese in North Bay, Kingston, London, Windsor, Surrey, Burnaby, Winnipeg, Prince George and Beyond. Nothing like the GTA and Vancouver, but miles ahead of anywhere else. The UK is in second place with diverse authentic options in and more importantly outside of London.
None of this is to pick a fight exactly, just to say “Westerners don’t get rice” doesn’t resonate. Replace westerners with Americans and I won’t argue.
It’s available, but generally speaking people don’t even realize what it could be used for. Many westerners have actually eaten rice in a variety forms because of the reasons you mentioned.
When you eat at an Indian restaurant, you’ll just eat the strange little cakes without realizing that they’re actually made of rice. That’s not what people think when they hear the word rice.
I married a Filipina. Rice is in the cooker 24/7.
And does it end up on a plate as plain rice?
Yep! Mostly.
Now I’m curious about the rare occasions when that doesn’t happen. Do you make rice noodles, rice cakes or something else?
She rarely mixes rice into other dishes, but it’s almost always a side dish.