Does the "nutty" flavor of black rice indicate any kind of relation with nuts? A friend of mine won't try it at home because her kids are allergic to nuts.

 Describing flavors can be a challenge. A certain vocabulary has evolved, but it doesn't always cover all the bases. A fairly robust vocabulary has grown up around wine, so fruity, dry, the nose, etc., etc., are used in various combinations so wine connoisseurs can speak knowledgably and snobbishly with one another.

A music professor spoke with us a few years ago using the everyday words that have evolved to describe sounds and types of music, and they all made sense even though we couldn't have used that vocabulary intelligently before hearing it.

When it comes to food, we make do, and quite frankly, some make do better than others. Some people just grunt and say, "um, this is good." And for so many people, everything tastes like chicken anyway. Others use all kinds of combinations of words to describe a variety of savory or sweet qualities, as well as those of texture, aroma, "mouth-feel," and a number of other attributes.

That is the case with the "nuttiness" of black rice – someone felt that "nutty" was an excellent way to describe the taste. In another setting, someone else would surely use another adjective, but nutty is the one that has troubled your friend.

There are numerous varieties of black rice, among them black japonica or black forbidden rice, which is a short-grain rice that turns indigo-blue when cooked, and Thai black sticky or Thai black glutinous rice, which has a fairly firm texture, and turns dark purple when cooked.

While there are nearly 25,000 registered varieties of rice, there is no botanical relationship between rice and nuts.

Submit your question
to Ochef