1 Basmati
Punjab, Haryana & the Himalayan foothills
The famed long-grain aromatic rice whose grains lengthen as they cook. Prized across the world for pulaos and biryanis.
Satvic food
50 traditional rices of India
India grows thousands of rice varieties — each shaped by its soil, climate and the hands that have grown it for generations. Here are fifty traditional rices from across the country: aromatic, red, black and heirloom grains, many now protected as Geographical Indications. A quiet reminder of just how much diversity a single grain can hold.
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2 Dehraduni Basmati
Uttarakhand (Doon Valley)
A delicate, intensely fragrant basmati grown in the cool Doon Valley, long considered among the finest of its kind.
3 Sona Masoori
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana & Karnataka
A light, medium-grain everyday rice that cooks fluffy and soft — a staple across much of South India.
4 Ponni
Tamil Nadu
A soft, easily digested rice that is the daily grain of Tamil homes, usually eaten parboiled.
5 Seeraga Samba
Tamil Nadu (Cauvery delta)
A tiny, cumin-sized grain with a rich aroma — the classic rice of Tamil biryanis and festive meals.
6 Mappillai Samba
Tamil Nadu
A hardy red heirloom rice, traditionally fed to bridegrooms for strength — high in fibre and iron.
7 Thooyamalli
Tamil Nadu
A slender, pearly-white traditional rice known for being light on the stomach and pleasantly fragrant.
8 Kavuni
Tamil Nadu (Chettinad)
A deep black glutinous heirloom rice of Chettinad, sweetened and steamed into a rich festive dessert.
9 Kichili Samba
Tamil Nadu
A small-grained samba rice valued for its taste and nutrition, used in pongal, idli and everyday meals.
10 Palakkadan Matta
Kerala (Palakkad)
A robust, earthy red parboiled rice with a coarse texture — the signature grain of Kerala kitchens.
11 Navara
Kerala
An ancient medicinal rice used in Ayurveda for healing therapies and nourishing the body.
12 Pokkali
Kerala (coastal Ernakulam & Alappuzha)
A salt-tolerant rice grown organically in tidal, brackish fields, rotated with prawn farming.
13 Jeerakasala
Kerala (Wayanad)
A short, fragrant grain — one half of the pairing that gives the famous Malabar (Thalassery) biryani its aroma.
14 Gandhakasala
Kerala (Wayanad)
A tribal aromatic rice from the Wayanad hills, treasured for its strong, sweet fragrance.
15 Rakthasali
Kerala
A red heirloom rice praised in ancient texts for its medicinal value and rich, nutty character.
16 Rajamudi
Karnataka (Mysuru)
A slender red rice once reserved for the royal table of the Mysore kings — soft and full of flavour.
17 Mysore Mallige
Karnataka (Mandya)
A soft white rice named for the jasmine (mallige) it is said to smell like when cooked.
18 Gandhasale
Karnataka
A traditional aromatic rice grown in the Western Ghats, cherished for festive and everyday cooking.
19 Kagga
Karnataka (coastal Uttara Kannada)
A salt-tolerant red rice grown in the brackish estuaries of the Karnataka coast without any chemicals.
20 Ambemohar
Maharashtra (Western Ghats, near Pune)
A soft, sticky rice famed for a scent like mango blossom (amba mohar) — a Pune-region favourite.
21 Indrayani
Maharashtra
A soft, sticky and aromatic table rice, a everyday favourite of the Sahyadri belt around Pune.
22 Kolam
Maharashtra
A small, non-sticky grain with a subtle flavour, widely eaten as a light daily rice.
23 Kalabhat
Maharashtra (Konkan)
A black heirloom rice of the Konkan coast, rich in antioxidants and grown by tribal farmers.
24 Ghansal
Goa
A short, fragrant Goan rice with a fine taste, traditionally grown in the coastal paddies.
25 Korgut
Goa
A hardy, salt-tolerant rice grown in the saline khazan lands along Goa’s estuaries.
26 Krishna Kamod
Gujarat (Gir region)
An aromatic rice of the Gir belt, known for a fragrance that fills the kitchen as it cooks.
27 Kamod
Gujarat
A soft, scented short-grain rice long grown across the paddies of Gujarat and Saurashtra.
28 Dubraj
Chhattisgarh
A fine aromatic rice often called the "basmati of Chhattisgarh", soft and richly fragrant.
29 Jawaphool
Chhattisgarh
A scented traditional rice whose grains are said to resemble jasmine buds — used for festive meals.
30 Vishnubhog
Chhattisgarh
A small-grained aromatic rice, a prized heirloom of the "rice bowl" of central India.
31 Chinnor
Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat)
A fine, fragrant short-grain rice of the Balaghat district, a celebrated regional delicacy.
32 Kalanamak
Uttar Pradesh (Siddharthnagar, Terai)
A black-husked aromatic rice from the land of the Buddha, famed for its scent and soft texture.
33 Adamchini
Uttar Pradesh
A small-grained aromatic rice of the eastern UP plains, delicate and sweetly scented.
34 Tilak Chandan
Uttar Pradesh
A traditional fine-grain aromatic rice, light and fragrant, grown across eastern Uttar Pradesh.
35 Katarni
Bihar (Bhagalpur)
A slender aromatic rice of Bhagalpur, beloved for its scent and used for both meals and chura (flattened rice).
36 Marcha
Bihar (West Champaran)
A fragrant rice of Champaran, chilli-shaped and famous for making exceptionally aromatic poha (chura).
37 Sonachur
Bihar & West Bengal
A fine, golden aromatic rice used for festive dishes, pulao and sweet preparations.
38 Gobindobhog
West Bengal (Bardhaman)
A short, buttery aromatic rice used in Bengali payesh and temple offerings to the deity Govinda.
39 Tulaipanji
West Bengal (Uttar Dinajpur)
A slender, fine aromatic rice of north Bengal, a favourite for everyday meals and festivals.
40 Kataribhog
West Bengal (Dinajpur)
A fragrant non-basmati heirloom rice of the Dinajpur region, soft and aromatic when cooked.
41 Randhunipagal
West Bengal
An intensely aromatic rice whose name means "the cook goes mad" — from the scent that fills the kitchen.
42 Kalonunia
West Bengal
A small black-husked aromatic rice of north Bengal, once grown for royalty and used in fine dishes.
43 Kalajeera
Odisha (Koraput)
A tiny black-grained aromatic rice, often called the "prince of rice", used in festive and medicinal cooking.
44 Kola Joha
Assam
A short-grain winter rice with a wonderful natural aroma, a staple of Assamese festive meals.
45 Aghonibora
Assam
A sticky (glutinous) winter rice used for traditional Assamese snacks and sweets like pitha.
46 Komal Chaul
Assam
A remarkable "soft rice" that needs no cooking — just soaking in water softens it, ready to eat.
47 Chakhao
Manipur
A deep purple-black aromatic rice, steamed into the celebrated Manipuri dessert chak-hao kheer.
48 Bamboo Rice (Moongil Arisi)
Western Ghats forests
The rare seed of a flowering bamboo, gathered by forest-dwelling communities — nutty and nutritious.
49 Wada Kolam
Maharashtra (Vidarbha)
A fine, thin non-sticky rice with a light aroma, popular as a premium everyday table rice.
50 Jyothi
Kerala & Karnataka
A bold red parboiled rice, hearty and filling — a much-loved daily grain across the south-west.