Rice · Rice · Short entry
Suwandel
සුවඳැල්
A white-pericarp traditional rice of Sri Lanka with a very short, bold grain. Researchers describe it as one of the country's popular fragrant traditional varieties, sold at a premium and mostly grown without synthetic pesticides or fertiliser. It is considered the ideal rice for festive occasions.
A small white grain
In a 2020 study of nine traditional varieties from the Rice Research and Development Institute at Bathalagoda, Suwandel was one of only two with a white pericarp; the others had red bran. Its dehulled, unmilled grain measured 4.1 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, a bold shape with a length-to-width ratio of 1.7. A separate comparison of traditional and improved varieties found it had the shortest kernel of all, at 3.6 mm.
Its amylose content (24.8 %) sits in the intermediate class, where most other traditional varieties tested alongside it were high-amylose. Its alkali digestion was low-intermediate, against low for most of the traditional group.
Fragrance and festivals
A study of rice volatiles published in 2014 detected the most volatile compounds in Suwandal and the improved variety Lanka-Samurdhi. 2AP, the main compound behind rice fragrance, was present, although a little-grown conserved variety, Kuruluwee, had about twice as much. The authors note that Suwandal is popular with commercial growers, sold at a higher price at home and abroad, mostly grown organically, and considered the ideal rice for festive occasions.