SC - Has anyone ever encountered...

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Stefan li Rous wrote:
> 
> Adamantius asked for:
> > B) A name, in Spanish, for the brown crust on the bottom of a pot of
> > rice.
> 
> Interesting. You mean there is a name for this? And that someone actually
> wants to do this? Or is this a matter of salvaging a mistake? I thought
> you were supposed to cook rice (and other grains) so they didn't stick
> or burn to the pot.

No, it's either intentional or has been rationalized after the fact to
the point where it is considered desirable. It depends, though, on how
the rice is cooked. There are so many different cultures for whom rice
is an important staple, and each has a different method of cooking rice.
The methods where a crust would be highly unlikely include cooking the
rice Creole style, where it's boiled like pasta, then drained and
briefly steamed over boiling water, or in the oven, and when it's cooked
in one of those electric rice cookers. Among those groups for whom a
crust on the bottom of the rice pot is a likelihood, I'd think Americans
would make the most fuss about having to take the extra effort to wash
the pot.

The thing is, though, that it's pretty easy to tell when the crust is
burnt, as opposed to merely brown. There's a post-caramel, bitter
noxiousness to burnt rice (or even most burnt foods) that transcends the
simple question of whether the food is a somewhat darker color than we'd
like. Some cultures like a rice crust, but would be alarmed at the
prospect of so important a staple as rice being burnt.

As an example, my Lady wife really appreciates the crust on the bottom
of the rice, but routinely will throw away an entire batch of rice if
it's burnt on the bottom, even the portion that is not, in itself,
burnt. It does tend to take on a burnt flavor, a sort of smokiness, that
is kind of unpleasant.

In any case, what I was looking for was the correct spelling of the term
I've heard Spanish-speakers use for that crust, and any other names for
it that other cultures may have. 
   
Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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