In Portugal we like rice. We like it a lot! And we don’t cook it just plain and simple to be eaten as a side dish; we often have it as the main dish.
Seafood rice, duck rice, tomato rice, octopus rice, you name it; we cook it! And for these kinds of “rice”, that should always be what we call “malandrinho” (loose and creamy), the Lower Mondego “Carolino” rice is the best. It comes with a Protected Geographical Indication distinction and will be this week’s featured product. This variety, in particular, owes its special features “to the climatic characteristics of the Baixo Mondego responsible for a slower formation and maturation, which enhances the physiological mechanisms associated with quality, namely: a tendency towards higher levels of amylose, and a higher percentage of whole grains, due to the formation of fewer cracks during the end of the crop cycle, that is, in the grain maturation phase”, states the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. The images show the rice from the Baixo Mondego, from the fields to the precise moment before it goes into the pot.
