According to online international food guide TasteAtlas.com, these are the world’s top 9 most-loved rice dishes.
Hyderabadi Biryani proudly claims the ninth spot.
1. Negitoro Don, Japan
This top Japanese favourite pairs melt-in-the-mouth fish with rice.
Softer, fatty cuts of tuna are trimmed into thin strips, then mixed with finely-cut spring onion and a dash of sauce and layered over steamed rice.
Simple-looking but exceptionally tasty.
2. Sushi, Japan
Sushi means vinegared rice and although enjoyed with various other ingredients, it is ultimately a rice preparation and it enjoys a huge fan following across Japan and far beyond.
Whatever your food choices -- plant-based or otherwise -- there’s a version of sushi waiting for you, from fresh uncooked toppings to fully cooked bites.
At its heart sits sticky rice, seasoned, which is finished with seafood, vegetables or even slices of meat, making each roll its own little tale of flavour.
3. Kaisendon, Japan
Among Japan’s adored seafood rice bowls is Kaisendon, which is topped with delicate cuts of raw fish and shellfish, each chosen for its freshness.
The mix changes from place to place and shifts with the time of year, and could be buttery tuna, firm white fish, sweet cold-water prawns, tender scallops, sea urchin, soft crab meat and, on occasion, glistening pearls of seasoned salmon eggs.
4. Otoro Nigiri Sushi, Japan
Otoro Nigiri is considered one of the finest treats in the sushi world.
Toro is a fatty cut of tuna. And otoro means the fattiest cut. Otoro Nigiri features the best cuts from a tuna’s underside that are placed gently atop lightly-pressed rice.
It’s a rare treasure and often comes at a premium price.
5. Arroz Tapado, Peru
From Japan we cut across to South America.
This Peruvian favourite, that's quick to cook, brings together cooked rice with a mix of minced meat, carrots, onions, garlic, olives and bits of boiled egg, all bound with a rich tomato base.
It’s arranged in layers, like a sandwich, with rice forming the base.
6. Chutoro Nigiri Sushi, Japan
And we fly back to Japan... Another traditional version of Nigiri Sushi, it is again a bite of tuna and hand-pressed rice. The tuna is neither otoro nor a regular grade but somewhere in between.
This smooth, medium-marbled cut with rice are a melt-in-your-mouth match made in heaven.
7. Nigiri, Japan
Feels like Japan has hit a century in this game of most-loved global rice delicacies. It's lightly-seasoned rice matched with a thin piece of fish, seafood or even veg on top.
It’s a favourite across the country, a fast snack and loved for its simple elegance.
8. Maki, Japan
Japan it is... For yet another worldwide rice fave. A maki usually means a Japanese-style roll where seasoned rice and fillings -- often fish or vegetables -- are wrapped snugly in a sheet of nori. It’s tidy, tasty, and one of the most recognisable sushi styles.
9. Hyderabadi Biryani
After a tidal wave of Japanese rice specialities occupying most of this list, we have Hyderabadi Biryani. Wah!
One of South India’s proudest culinary treasures, the biryani of Hyderabad uses long-grained rice, tender meat, yoghurt, lemon, browned onions, all lifted by the aroma of saffron.
The dish comes in two classic styles: Kachchi, where everything goes into the pot raw, and pakki, where the components are cooked beforehand.
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