Rice

India has hundreds of varieties of rice (Oryza sativa), but for many Parsis there’s only one, basmati, which means “fragrant.” Basmati is an extra-long-grain rice grown in the foothills of the Himalayas in both India and Pakistan. Its two main characteristics are its lovely scent and the grains’ ability to expand lengthwise while they’re cooking. Some California- or Texas-grown rice is now called basmati, but this is a misleading marketing term. It may be good rice, but basmati it’s not. You can now find basmati rice in supermarkets, but I always buy it in ten-pound cloth bags at Indian or Pakistani groceries. Agricultural technology has done basmati rice both a service and a disservice: You no longer have to spend hours winnowing out chaff and pebbles, but monkeying about with fertilizers and high-yield seeds has resulted in rice that is no longer as fragrant as people remember it.