Bengali’s relationship with rice or bhat, is an emotional attachment. They can’t even imagine without having rice once in a day. There are hundreds of Kolkata’s street Bhater Hotel, where you can snack on rice in many different avatars. Bengal is a home of some amazing varieties of organic rice and among them, Gobindobhog rice is well-known for its distinctive flavor, aromatic fragrance, excellent taste, and high nutritious value.

Since the 17th century, Gobindobhog Rice has served the purpose of preparing heavenly delicacies and this widely consumed staple food helps you to recall the delightful nostalgia from your grandparent’s memories. Bengalis are always connected with this rice and it has a religious fact behind this. As the name implies, the rice is used for the preparation of ‘Bhog’ or offerings to the Hindu deities, especially Lord Krishna or ‘Govindaji’..

History:

Well, there was a myth about naming this rice variety as ‘Gobindo-bhog’. Once four Basak families and one Seth family crossed the Ganges from Shibpur. They cleared the dense forest and established a village, named Gobindapur. That time, they found an old temple of Lord Krishna, and to seek God’s blessings of starting the rice cultivation, they offered bhog to Lord Gobinda, prepared by a bowl of fine aromatic rice, which is later known as ‘Gobindobhog’.

Texture & Taste:

Gobindobhog rice is a short-grain, white-colored rice with a superior aromatic fragrance, the perfect choice to prepare special delicacies. Its buttery taste can satisfy the taste buds of food lovers.

Cultivation:

In the late 1960s, after the Green Revolution, the farmers cultivated more than 100 indigenous rice varieties in the various parts of undivided Bengal. Among them, the Gobindobhog is the ‘King of Bengal’s Rice’. This non-basmati rice is proudly harvested in the ‘Kharif Mansoon’ in different districts of West Bengal, especially in Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia, Birbhum, Bankura, and Purulia. Among them, the Burdwan district is known as the ‘Rice Bowl of Bengal’. The southern region of the Damodar River is the most traditional area of cultivating God’s special rice.

On August 24, 2017, the Government of India has awarded the Geographical Indication Tag of West Bengal to this branded rice, ‘Gobindo Bhog’. Later, this rice gained immense popularity in the Southern parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala.

Cultivating this rice variety has lots of advantages. The farmers cultivate this lately and it is not affected by the rainy season of West Bengal. It is even less prone to pests and worms. Due to its high productivity rate, our farmers will get better prices.

Physical and Chemical Properties of Gobindobhog Rice:

This white-colored rice grain is short and sticky, easy-to-cook. Its stickiness can give a thick texture to your dishes. You need to be watchful while cooking. If it is overcooked, then it gets mushy even though it can lose its softness and turn hard.

Physical Properties

Chemical Properties

Nutritional Value:

Compared to the regular Basmati rice or Brown rice, the protein content available in Gobindobhog rice is absorbed much better by the body. It is enriched in vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Its antioxidant property makes it easy to digest. Ayurveda says that this rice will help to treat body imbalance. Just intake this premium quality rice to enjoy nourished skin and better bowel movement.

According to medical research, this organic rice variant is well-known to burn body fat faster. Even its essential nutrient helps to mobilize the fat from the liver.

Nutritional (Calorie) Check:

Nutrients

Minerals

Recipes You Can Try with Gobindobhog Rice:

This organically grown white aromatic rice of West Bengal is being served as a prasad or bhog to their local deity, God Gobinda Jiu. During Durga puja or even in monsoon season, we made ‘khichuri’, Bengali’s all-time favorite dish.

You can also try out the one-pot meal or ‘Panta Bhat’ in summer. Overnight fermented leftover rice tempered with chilies is one of the most traditional dishes of Bengal. In the domestic household, it is also used as a snack item in different avatars, like muri, chiwra, khoi.

In some popular five-star restaurants in Kolkata, like Westin, JW Marriott; the chefs are trying to create a vegetarian risotto with this white wonder. They serve plain steamed gobindobhog rice, topped with toasted moong dal puree and ghee. They also use this rice variant to prepare some of the tastiest celebratory delicacies, like polao, muri ghonto, biriyani, firni, payesh, kheer, pitha, etc.

Cooking Time and Procedure:

We have mentioned below some of the most common processes for cooking Gobindobhog Rice used in different recipes:

If you are a ‘Bheto Bangali’, then it’s time to nourish your soul with some of the authentic Bengali dishes made of Gobindobhog Rice. Go through the grocery lists of the popular e-commerce stores available and choose the best quality rice based on their reviews, ratings, and price checks. Enjoy the richness of premium quality aromatic white Gobindobhog Rice in your daily dishes.