【Reading】はくまい

【English Name】White Rice / Polished Rice

Hakumai (white rice) is milled rice from which the bran and germ have been removed from brown rice, also called seihaku-mai (polished rice). In sushi, it is the basic ingredient made into shari by combining it with vinegar, sugar, and salt, and along with the toppings (neta), it forms the core of the flavor. Nutritionally, it consists mainly of starch, at about 358 kcal per 100 g, with about 6.1 g of protein, about 0.9 g of fat, and about 0.5 g of dietary fiber. Through polishing, vitamin B1 is reduced to about one-sixth that of brown rice, and a diet overly reliant on white rice was once linked to the prevalence of beriberi. Under the Agricultural Products Inspection Act, white rice is defined as brown rice of grade 3 or higher that has been polished. Because oxidation progresses after milling, low-temperature storage is desirable, and in sushi the variety, cooking adjustment, and vinegar-blending proportions influence the flavor.