Bhutanese red rice grows at high altitudes where the thin mountain air and cool water from Himalayan glaciers create the perfect growing conditions. The paddies — flooded fields where rice grows — are built into the steep hillsides in flat terraces, like a giant staircase going up the mountain. Each terrace holds just enough water for rice to grow. Walking past these terraces in summer, when the rice is bright green, is one of the most beautiful sights in Bhutanese farming country.
The reddish colour of the rice comes from a compound called anthocyanin — the same natural pigment that makes blueberries blue and red cabbage purple. This pigment is good for you, and it gives Bhutanese red rice a slightly chewy texture even when fully cooked. It takes a little longer to cook than white rice, and it absorbs less water, so it stays a bit firmer in the pot. Chefs around the world have started using it because of its interesting texture and flavour.
In Bhutan, red rice is the everyday equivalent of bread in Europe or tortillas in Mexico — it is the base that most meals are built around. A Bhutanese family might eat it with ema datshi (chilli and cheese), dried meat, lentils, or pickled vegetables. Farmers in the Paro valley still plant and harvest it largely by hand, using traditional methods, and take great pride in the quality of their crop.