Well is it "rice" or isn't it?

If you go to Wal-Mart and ask for rice they may send you down aisle 7 where "Uncle Ben" or the original "San Francisco Treat" are waiting for you to invite them to dinner.  I have found that you can't do this in Indonesia because of two big Indonesian roadblocks.

1. There is "NO"... I repeat... "NO" Wal-Mart in Indonesia, at least that I have found.  (hope this doesn't deter some of you from visiting)
2. If there was a Wal-Mart in Indo and you asked for rice they may laugh at you (I know this because my language tutor laughed at me), depending on what you want there may be at least four different names for rice.  So hati-hati (be careful).

Just a heads up this is a purely educational post on one of Indonesia's main agricultural products.  So if you like random facts, or rice, or like to read random facts about rice, then please enjoy this post.  If you don't like any of those then please come back later and I may have found something that you will enjoy.

If you have watched any National Geographic at all, you are more than likely aware that rice grows on plants in the middle of a rice paddy.  In Indonesia a rice paddy is known as a "sawah".  The individual plants that the rice is harvested from are called "padi", so while on the plant this is what rice is called.

This sawah is a typical one, planted in the traditional terrace style.

 Once the padi have fully grown it is time to harvest.  The rice is then given a new name,  it now becomes "beras".  The beras is placed out on the sides of the road to dry.  Once dry, the edible grains can then be extracted from the husk and the husk can be sent to help in the manufacturing of mud bricks.

The beras may be placed on a woven mat like this one lying on the side of the road. This mat was about 4ft wide and 7ft long.

Close up of the beras with the husks still on.

Once the beras has dried and the rice extracted it then goes to the pasar (market).  So it is at this point that you would ask for beras if you were wanting to cook rice for dinner.  But as soon as you throw the beras in the pot to cook it, it changes names again.  It has now become nasi.  Nasi is a staple food for Indonesians and is served in some fashion for almost every meal.

This is nasi putih (white rice).

 If you wanted to take nasi putih a step further you could add some chicken, green onions, chiles, eggs, and some seasoning and fry it all together.  You would have then prepared the traditional breakfast dish known as nasi goreng.

This is typically how nasi goreng is served, with a few veggies, maybe a piece of chicken on the side, and and an egg sitting nicely on top.

So there you have it, the long journey that rice takes to get from the sawah to the dinner table.  And remember next time you go to the pasar don't ask for nasi because you may get laughed at, instead ask for beras.  If you feel like trying to make your own nasi goreng try this simple recipe.