Koshihikari
Koshihikari is the most popular type of rice grown in Japan. Koshihikari rice is a very elastic and sticky rice ideal for sushi and onigiri. Koshihikari has unique properties, a very specific sweet taste and an unforgettable aromatic smell. Almost one third of all rice production in Japan is Koshihikari. Approximately 80 percent of Japanese people consume only Koshihikari rice. Koshihikari was first cultivated in Niigata Prefecture in the northern part of the island of Honshu. Here are the most ideal conditions for growing rice, an abundance of clean water, fertile soil, a mountainous area where there is a big difference between day and night temperature (the bigger the difference, the sweeter the rice). Now, Koshihikari is grown all over Japan from the northern part of the island of Hokkaido to the southern island of Kyushu. But among the lesser-known Koshihikari-producing prefectures are Niigata, of course, but also Ibaraki, Fukushima and Tochigi.
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Koshihikari is an excellent type of rice that is known for its specific sweetness and its original taste when eaten. Koshihikari is specific for its sweetness, which, as already mentioned, comes from the difference in day and night temperature and from the purity of the water and its temperature. The cleaner the water, the better the grain. The colder the water, the sweeter and more intense the taste. A Koshihikari grain is approximately 5 millimeters long, 3 millimeters wide and 2 millimeters thick. One grain of Koshihikari weighs approximately 20 to 23 grams, depending on the region where Koshihikari is grown. Koshihikari grains grown in the north of Honshu in the specific area of Niigata, Fukushima, Tochigi, and Yamagata are larger, slightly sweeter, and more sticky than Koshihikari rice grains grown in Tottori, Iwane, Hiroshima, Okayama, and Yamaguchi regions, where the grain is slightly smaller. The reasons are mainly the large fluctuation of day and night temperatures in the north of Honshu Island, which gives the grain sweetness and adds to its size, because the day and night temperatures and their fluctuation directly affect the taste, size and sweetness of Koshihikari.
Koshihikari is generally a very sticky and elastic type of rice ideal for making sushi, as is probably known in the Czech Republic and Europe. But that is not its only way of consumption in Japan. Of course, Koshihikari goes well with other side dishes such as hamburgers, grilled meat, kimchi and pickled vegetables, raw, salted and grilled fish.
