M.Y. HEXAGON OF TASTES

This hexagon of flavors is meant to help interpret the different flavors of Japanese rice. Japanese rice is such a wonderful ingredient that has many different tastes, textures and aromas. Therefore, it deserves a self-explanatory system to interpret and explain these different kinds of tastes. In Japan, there are over 300 different types of rice that are grown each year. In order to be able to navigate through such a large amount of rice and their taste, it would be useful to have a simple, clear guide that will help us define and specify the many different tastes, textures and aromas of Japanese rice. Japanese cuisine is unique in its amazing repertoire of different foods, tastes and flavors. Therefore, a simple explanation is needed as different types of rice help to intensify the flavor of the food and help highlight different types of Japanese cuisine.  To make it easier to understand the different types of rice, there are five factors that directly indicate the texture and taste of the rice, stickiness, softness/hardness, sweetness, aroma, appearance and overall evaluation.

 

1. The first indicator is the stickiness of the rice. Japanese rice is well known for its general stickiness. However, there are different levels and intensity of stickiness to the rice itself. Stickiness is measured from level 1, which means slightly sticky, to level 5, which means very significantly sticky.
2. The second indicator is the texture of the rice and its softness. This indicator shows how soft the rice is after cooking. Level 1 means that the rice is not too soft and rather hard, and level 5 is that the rice is very soft. Each type of rice has a different softness, which is very important for rice and its combination with different dishes.
3. The third indicator is the taste (sweetness) of the rice, which shows the overall intensity of sweetness you feel when the rice is in your mouth. Level 1 means mild sweetness and level 5 means very sweet. Japanese rice is naturally sweet and rich in amino acids and other elements.
4. The fourth indicator is aroma, which shows the level and intensity of the aroma of freshly cooked rice. Level 1 is again not very aromatic and 5 is very aromatic rice.
5. The fifth indicator is the outer surface of the grain after cooking. This indicator usually shows the glossiness and appearance of the rice.
6. The last indicator is the overall assessment of the rice itself. The overall rating indicates the overall taste, texture, softness and sweetness of the rice. Japanese rice is known for its high quality.