Indian Culture

Basmati

Basmati is Hindi for fragrant: a long-grain rice from the foot of the Himalayas in India and Pakistan.1,2,3,4,5,6 Cooked, white grains grow at least 1.7 times as long.5,7

Also known as Basmati rice

Basmati is a fragrant long-grain rice from the Indo-Gangetic Plain at the foot of the Himalayas, on both sides of the border between India and Pakistan.4,5,6,7 The word comes from Hindi bās, scent; bāsmatī means fragrant.1,2,3,4 Under Indian food law, the raw grains must average at least 6.61 millimetres in length and at least 12 millimetres once cooked, and basmati must have its natural fragrance, raw and cooked.7 Its scent comes mainly from the compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which also makes jasmine rice fragrant.8,9 Cooked, the grains stay fluffy and separate, which is why basmati is used for biryani and pulao.10,11,12 According to the packs, most of the basmati in our range comes from India and Punjabi 1121 Basmati Rice from Pakistan; Heer and Punjabi also come parboiled as Golden Sella.7,13,14,15,16,17,18,19

Why is it called basmati?

Basmati is Hindi for “fragrant”: the word comes from bās, scent, which goes back to Sanskrit vāsa. Indian food law requires basmati to have its natural fragrance both raw and cooked.1,2,3,4,7

Is jasmine rice the same as basmati rice?

No, though both are fragrant long-grain rices and owe their scent mainly to the same compound, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. Jasmine rice comes from Thailand, has less amylose and cooks soft; basmati grows in India and Pakistan, and its grains stay separate and grow much longer.5,6,7,8,9,10,20,21

Recipes with Basmati

Related products in our shop

All prices incl. VAT, plus €4.90 shipping, free for orders from €49.00.

View all products

Sources

  1. Platts, J. T. (1884). bās. In A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi, and English (p. 122). Digital Dictionaries of South Asia, University of Chicago.
  2. McGregor, R. S. (n.d.). bās. In The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary (p. 728). Digital Dictionaries of South Asia, University of Chicago. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  3. Oxford University Press. (n.d.). basmati. In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  4. King, N. I. (n.d.). rice. In My Bombay Kitchen. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  5. The Rice Association & British Retail Consortium. (2022). Code of Practice for Basmati Rice. The Rice Association.
  6. Alford, J. & Duguid, N. (1998). basmati. In Seductions of Rice.
  7. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. (2025). Chapter 2: Food Product Standards, 2.4 Cereals and Cereal Products, 2.4.6 (26) Basmati Rice.
  8. Bradbury, L. M. T., Fitzgerald, T. L., Henry, R. J., Jin, Q., & Waters, D. L. E. (2005). The gene for fragrance in rice. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 3(3), 363–370. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7652.2005.00131.x
  9. Wei, X., Handoko, D. D., Pather, L., Methven, L., & Elmore, J. S. (2017). Evaluation of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline in foods, with an emphasis on rice flavour. Food Chemistry, 232, 531–544. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.04.005
  10. Grimes, L. (2009). basmati. In The Cook's Book of Everything.
  11. Alford, J. & Duguid, N. (2005). basmati. In Mangoes & Curry Leaves.
  12. Qureshi, M. (n.d.). sella basmati rice. In The Red Sea Cookbook. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  13. Indian Culture: Crown Opal Basmati Rice: ingredients and origin on the pack.
  14. Indian Culture: Daawat Basmati Rice, Extra Long Grain: ingredients and origin on the pack.
  15. Indian Culture: Heer Basmati Rice, Extra Long Grain: ingredients and origin on the pack.
  16. Indian Culture: Shaan E Shaukat Basmati Rice, Extra Long Grain: ingredients and origin on the pack.
  17. Indian Culture: Punjabi 1121 Basmati Rice: ingredients and origin on the pack.
  18. Indian Culture: Heer Parboiled Basmati Rice (Golden Sella): ingredients and origin on the pack.
  19. Indian Culture: Punjabi 1121 Parboiled Basmati Rice (Golden Sella): ingredients and origin on the pack.
  20. Alford, J. & Duguid, N. (1998). Thai jasmine rice. In Seductions of Rice.
  21. National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. (2003). Thai Agricultural Standard TAS 4000-2003: Thai Hom Mali Rice.

Cite this entry

MLA

“Basmati.” Indian Culture Glossary, Indian Culture, https://www.indian-culture.de/en/glossar/basmati.

Chicago

Indian Culture Glossary, s.v. “Basmati,” https://www.indian-culture.de/en/glossar/basmati.

APA

Indian Culture. (n.d.). Basmati. In Indian Culture glossary. https://www.indian-culture.de/en/glossar/basmati