[HN Gopher] Carolina Gold was once the most popular rice grown i...
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       Carolina Gold was once the most popular rice grown in America
       (2019)
        
       Author : Tomte
       Score  : 36 points
       Date   : 2021-12-11 20:45 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.seriouseats.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.seriouseats.com)
        
       | selimthegrim wrote:
       | Apparently it is essential to Hoppin' John that actually tastes
       | good
        
       | walrus01 wrote:
       | If you really want to see good quality rice, take a look at the
       | quality and selection of product that an expert Pakistani chef
       | will use for a top quality biryani. Or the rice that Afghans will
       | use when cooking a Palaw the slow way. Generally within the
       | category of long grain basmati, but there's a lot of difference
       | between sub-types.
        
         | waqasx wrote:
         | Long grain basmati that has aged a couple of years. I dont know
         | if you can find aged basmati in the US.
        
       | jeffbee wrote:
       | Can I just mention how charming it is that there is such as thing
       | as a USDA Rice Research Center? People throw bureaucracy around
       | as a bad word but bureaucratic capacity brings us so many
       | positive things. Let's hear it for the deep rice state.
        
         | GhettoComputers wrote:
         | What else does it do and what cost? What is the cost benefit
         | analysis of the rice research center?
        
           | JaimeThompson wrote:
           | What was the cost benefit analysis of quantum mechanics
           | related research before it became one of the building blocks
           | of many modern technologies?
        
           | jeffbee wrote:
           | Let's see, one of the benefits is probably that we're not all
           | starving to death right now. Not sure if there are others.
           | 
           | I guess you could get rid of it to save every American 5C/
           | annually and trade that for a chance of a future rice disease
           | wiping out our crops. That might make sense, in the same way
           | that the Texas electric grid is very efficient.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | ggm wrote:
         | Also the IRRI which is I believe the Philippines, Vietnam, Lao
         | and Cambodia who have the rice research cooperative agreement.
         | They do a lot of work on Golden rice.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | 8ytecoder wrote:
         | Doesn't have to be a govt department though. India is still
         | primarily agricultural but almost all agri research happens at
         | the universities. Still funded by the government but they do
         | the dual work of training the next generation as well.
        
       | Aloha wrote:
       | You can find it here:
       | https://www.carolinaplantationrice.com/store/products/Caroli...
        
         | pitched wrote:
         | This one seems popular too: https://ansonmills.com/products/23
        
       | TedShiller wrote:
       | If I've never tasted it, it leaves open the possibility that it
       | doesn't actually taste good
        
         | mlyle wrote:
         | I'm just curious what you think this adds to the discussion.
         | (I'm aware you were riffing off the title).
        
           | TedShiller wrote:
           | The title is click bait
        
         | dang wrote:
         | " _Please don 't pick the most provocative thing in an article
         | and rush to the thread to complain about it. Find something
         | interesting to comment about instead._"
         | 
         | https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
        
       | ed25519FUUU wrote:
       | The story of heirloom fruit and vegetables is sad. People spent
       | their entire lives sometimes creating delicious varieties only to
       | be blown out by produce that was cheap to grow and looked good on
       | the supermarket shelf (taste didn't matter).
       | 
       | Apples are a great example. Almost everything in the supermarket
       | (save for a few varieties) is bland and mealy. It LOOKS great
       | though, and that's all that matters.
        
         | lotsofpulp wrote:
         | > People spent their entire lives sometimes creating delicious
         | varieties only to be blown out by produce that was cheap to
         | grow and looked good on the supermarket shelf (taste didn't
         | matter).
         | 
         | Why would taste not matter? Surely people take into account
         | taste when purchasing food. But they also decide to make
         | tradeoffs in how much extra money to spend for the additional
         | rate versus other things they could try with the additional
         | money.
         | 
         | But given two foods at the same price and nutritional
         | qualities, surely taste is a prominent factor.
        
           | jcrawfordor wrote:
           | It's a pretty widely studied artifact of mass retail that
           | appearance was valued over taste, because appearance is
           | immediately obvious while taste must be remembered and most
           | consumers don't. In other words, it's immediately obvious
           | what produce looks good, while knowing what produce tastes
           | good requires time and attention. Most people don't really
           | remember the difference between varieties of apples, for
           | example, which are currently undergoing a bit of a
           | renaissance as breeders have discovered the value of branding
           | and marketing campaigns similar to those used for
           | manufactured goods. The general perception is that this trend
           | is starting to go away only now, as a largely internet driven
           | food culture has emerged that values unusual varieties.
           | 
           | Moreover, for the retailer themselves, durability and shelf
           | life is perhaps the single most important property in today's
           | long supply chains, because produce is subject to rough
           | handling and consumers absolutely do not purchase bruised
           | fruit or wilted greens. Unfortunately it often runs opposite
           | to other metrics of quality for produce.
        
           | wikibob wrote:
           | Taste doesn't matter in the majority of the fruit and
           | vegetable market because it is not perceivable at the time of
           | purchase.
        
       | thomas wrote:
       | I've had it a few times and it's very good, but not better than
       | most good rice. I think people mostly just don't have nice or
       | fresh rice, they fine Carolina gold which is very well branded
       | and think it's the best. It's not hard to find better than
       | average rice online[0].
       | 
       | 0: https://helpatmyhome.com/buy-rice-online/
        
         | indigodaddy wrote:
         | Are you sure it wasn't the Carolina brand that sells a
         | "Carolina Gold" that is NOT the real thing?
         | 
         | I've had the real Carolina Gold (my parents get it-- I'll have
         | to ask them where/how), and it's definitely the best rice I've
         | ever had (and I eat a lot of rice / all kinds).
        
           | mlyle wrote:
           | His link includes a discussion of Anson Mills which is the
           | best source of the real thing.
           | 
           | (Yes, Carolina-brand "Carolina Gold" is not the same thing
           | and not great).
        
             | indigodaddy wrote:
             | Ah, my bad for not looking thanks
        
             | cesaref wrote:
             | As a UK resident, reading Anson Mills description of their
             | rice products and how they taste, and what you can do with
             | them is really quite bewildering - 'They can also be
             | prepared in the creamy grits style and all the way to
             | congee, if pressed, or as crisp skillet cakes, both savory
             | and sweet.'
             | 
             | I cook with a range of rices depending on what i'm doing -
             | Arbori, Carnaroli, Basmati and Bomba, but rarely with what
             | I consider an american long grain.
             | 
             | I'll try and track down some of this Carolina Gold and see
             | what I can do with it. Any suggestions for a recipe that
             | shows it off (not knowing what a skillet cake is, for
             | example)?
        
               | monocasa wrote:
               | As a southerner, this sounds pretty good:
               | 
               | https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/carolina-gold-pilau-
               | shri...
        
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       (page generated 2021-12-11 23:00 UTC)