Kerala Matta rice is an indigenous variety of rice grown in Palakkad

Palakkad

Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...

 District of Kerala. It is different from brown rice

Brown rice

Brown rice is unmilled or partly milled rice, a kind of whole, natural grain. It has a mild nutty flavor, is chewier and more nutritious than white rice, but goes rancid more quickly because the germ—which is removed to make white rice—contains fats that can spoil...

. It is popular in Kerala and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

 where it is used on a regular basis for idlies, appams and plain rice. The robust, earthy flavor of Red Matta makes it an enticing companion to lamb, beef or game meats.

Origin

The “Kerala Matta” rice has been very popular from early days because of the richness of rice, its unique taste and use in preparations of rice-snacks like “Kondattam,”“Murukku” etc. The “Palakkadan Matta ari Kanji” ('ari' in Malayalam means Rice) is also famous for its rich nutrient qualities. The Kerala Matta rice is referred to in the work “Rice in Kerala” authored by Sri.P.C. Sahadevan and published by the Government of Kerala in the year 1966. The unique rice is mentioned in Tamil Classics like Thirukkural. During the ancient times Palghat District was part of Tamil Nadu. Rice in the days of Chera/Chola Kingdoms was considered as a royal food. The commoners were happy with ‘Chama’ (an inferior variety of cereal). One adventurous farmer chanced upon this unique rice variety in the king’s farm and carried it away in a “Matta” meaning “Areca Leaf’. The rice variety fell into the public domain and was sown by the farmer and soon became a regular rice crop in Palakkad. This rice was popularly referred to as “Matta” and exclusively cultivated in Palakkad and later came to be known as the Kerala Matta Rice. Some of the old and popular varieties of Kerala Matta are “Chenkazhama”, “Chettadi”, “Aruvakkari”, “Aryan”, “Vatton”, “Ilupappoochampan”, “Chitteni”, “Thavalakkannan” and the newer varieties like “Kunjukunju’ and “jyothi”. In page 65 of the 2nd volume of “KRISHISASTRAM”, a book authored by Mr. J.V. Akkarappatti (a Retired Agricultural Officer) in 1957, there is a special reference to the Kerala Matta rice.

Cultivation and trade

Kerala Matta Rice is grown in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

 and Kerala in South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

. Matta rice gives Kerala farmers a premium of Rs

RS

RS may refer to:- Genetics :A unique submitted SNP record receive a reference SNP ID number . Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DbSNP- Computer-related :* RuneScape, a multiplayer online role playing game...

. 300 for 500 kg of paddy. A three year ban on the export of matta rice was partially lifted in February 2011, allowing 25,000 tonnes to be exported in 2011.

Characteristics

Kerala Matta rice is a unique cereal having high content of nutrients and is indispensable for those who do hard physical work. It is also rich in fibre. Kerala Matta Rice is the rice having the outer bran being removed. The grains are yellowish pink from being parboiled with the reddish out layers. Rose Matta Rice maintains a pink hue as well as its flavor on cooking. Like all brown or par boiled rice, Red Matta has a lengthy cook time and requires extra water.

Uniqueness

Palakkadan matta rice is registered under the Geographical Indication

Geographical indication

A geographical indication is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin...

s of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999 by the Palakkad Matta Farmers Producer Company Ltd. It is a coarse variety of rice with bold grains and red pericarp. The rice has got a unique taste. The coarse rice with red pericarp by itself ensures high content of nutrients. “Par-boiling” of the rice further ensures retention of nutritional value. The grains is grown on unique black cotton or regar soil, derived from rocks rich in lime peculiar to Palakkad also in “Poonthalpadam” where the soil is heavy, containing 60-80% of clay and silt and possess low permeability and high water holding capacity. These soils, the humid weather of Palakkad, easterly winds that blow through the Palakkad gap and the rivers that flow from the Western Ghats, and the bright sunshine determine the unique taste and quality of the Kerala Matta Rice.

Preparation
The Rosematta rice is washed in a large pan and drained. In a pot with a tight cover and 1 part rice to 4 parts water the rice is boiled then simmered for 1/2 hour, drained and left covered for another 15 minutes.

Nutritional facts
(As on Durbar rice pack)
Serving Size 50g Calories 180 Total fat 0g; cholesterol 0g; Total Carbohydrate 42g; Sugars 0g; Protein 3g; Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 0%