Chapter 4

Milling

Once procured, paddy is milled to be readied for consumption. While farmers in Bengal would, once, process paddy manually themselves at their own farms, that practice is hardly seen now: the rare occasion being when they prepare rice for domestic consumption or for some specialized purpose. Rice mills scale the process up for the masses. A population can be fed only through industrialization of the steps.

A typical kernel of rice comprises about 20 per cent husk and 11 per cent bran, the rest — at 69 per cent — being the endosperm, or the grain that we consume. The main objective of milling is to separate this consumable endosperm from its protective covering. While the bran too is typically removed, in brown rice—which is unpolished—the bran layer is let to remain.

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