Long grain rice has a long, slender kernel, four to five times longer than its width. Cooked grains are separate, light and fluffy.

Medium grain rice has a shorter, wider kernel (two to three time llonger than its width) than long grain rice. Cooked grains are more moist and tender, and have a greater tendency to cling together than long grain.

Short grain rice has a short, plump, almost round kernel. Cooked grains are soft and cling together.

Aromatic rice has a natural aroma and flavor similar to that of popcorn or roasted nuts. The most common domestically grown aromatic rices include basmati, jasmine, and della.

Basmati rice, when cooked, is dry and separate. It is long grain rice which swells only lengthwise when cooked, resulting in long, thin grains.

Jasmine rice is a long grain rice which, when cooked, is soft, moist, and clings together.

Della rice is a cross of long grain rice and basmati rice which was developed in the United States. It has an aroma and flavor similar to basmati and cooks dry and separate. However, cooked kernels are not as long and slender as basmati because the grains, when cooked, swell in both length and width, like regular long grain rice.

Sweet rice has a short, plump, opaque kernel. When cooked, this rice loses its shape and becomes very sticky and glutinous.

Arborio rice is a translucent, plump rice with a characteristic white dot at the center of the grain. By way of length/width ratio and starch characteristics, it is classified as a medium grain rice in the United States, and a short grain rice elsewhere. Most often used in cooking risotto, this rice develops a creamy texture around a chewy center.

Source: Rice Notes, USA Rice Federation, 1999