Rice "peeling" actually refers to the process of removing the hull, the hard outer covering of the rice grain. This isn't peeling in the same way as you'd peel a potato; it's a more involved process of separating the grain from its protective husk.
Traditional Methods of Hull Removal
Historically, rice hull removal was done using simple but effective methods:
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Winnowing: This involved tossing the unhulled rice into the air, allowing the wind to blow away the lighter hulls while the heavier rice grains fell back down. This is a very basic method.
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Pestles and Rice Pounders: More advanced techniques employed pestles to manually crush the hulls, and later, simple mechanical devices called rice pounders were developed to increase efficiency. These methods physically removed the hull from the rice grain.
Modern Rice Milling
Today, rice milling is a highly mechanized process. While the basic principle of separating the rice grain from its hull remains the same, the methods are significantly more efficient and produce larger quantities of rice. Modern rice mills use machinery that can process huge amounts of rice quickly. These machines perform several steps beyond hull removal, including polishing and grading.
Why Remove the Hull?
Removing the rice hull offers several benefits:
- Improved digestibility: Unhulled rice is harder to digest and requires longer cooking times. The hull adds substantial fiber, which some individuals may find difficult to process. (r/AskAnthropology)
- Increased nutritional density (in refined form): While removing the hull removes some fiber, the refined grain is considered more nutrient dense once properly cooked due to improved digestibility. (r/AskAnthropology)
- Better taste and texture: The polished rice has a smoother texture and often a more palatable taste compared to unhulled rice.
The hull itself (rice hulls or husks) is not discarded entirely. It has several industrial uses. (Rice hull - Wikipedia)
