Tianquan Fragrant Valley Rice

Tianquan Fragrant Valley Rice

　　Tianquan Fragrant Valley Rice is a famous specialty of Tianquan County, Ya'an City, Sichuan Province. The rice is spindle-shaped, with white, tender grains that are highly nutritious. When cooking regular rice, adding just a small handful of this rice makes the dish whiter, moister, more fragrant, and more appetizing.

　　According to the *Comprehensive Gazetteer of Ya Prefecture* from Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, Tianquan Fragrant Valley Rice has long been regarded as an imperial tribute due to its rich aroma after cooking. It is a specialty of the "Eighteen Streams" area in Tianquan County, Ya'an City. The Renyi Township, known as the "Granary of Tianquan," is the main production area.

　　Tianquan Fragrant Valley Rice is spindle-shaped with relatively long grains. The rice is white, tender, rich in oil content, and has a strong natural fragrance. Adding an appropriate amount of this rice when cooking ordinary rice can make the resulting dish whiter, moister, more fragrant, and significantly more appetizing. Because of this effect, it is also referred to as the "MSG rice" among rice varieties. The great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu praised the excellence of this rice in his poem *Sixteen Poems from the Thatched Cottage After Falling Ill*, writing: “I send someone to the market to buy fragrant rice on credit, and call my wife out of the room to cook it herself.”

　　Fragrant Valley Rice is not only delicious but also highly nutritious. It is rich in protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, and other components. Its fat content is five times that of ordinary glutinous rice and three times that of japonica rice, while its protein content is over 50% higher than that of glutinous rice, making it an ideal food for pregnant women, infants, and patients. Due to its slightly longer growth period and lower yield compared to common rice, Tianquan Fragrant Valley Rice holds high economic value.