Bomba rice is from Spain.
Bomba rice is a type of short-grain Spanish rice that when cooked, expands in width, which differs from most rice varieties that expand in length.
Bomba rice is also able to absorb three times its volume in liquid, so bomba rice is one of the best rice varieties for the preparation of popular Spanish paella recipes.
Italian Arborio rice is often used as a substitute for Bomba, because Arborio is widely available.
If you use this variety of rice, you'll need to adjust the liquid in your recipe so you're using two cups of water or stock for every cup of rice.
Bomba rice is often known for being the opposite of Arborio or other risotto rice varieties that don't hold their shape as well when cooking and are intentionally utilized in creamier dishes.
An important property of bomba is its ability to absorb two or three times its volume in water without bursting and the grains of rice tend to hold their structure well after cooking.
The grains of Bomba rice expand in width like an accordion to form little “bombs” hence the name “Bomba”!
Bomba rice is grown along the Segura River, which brings cold water from the top of the mountains.
The water passes through the paddies; its coldness slows the growth of the rice down so that it grows one-third more slowly than other rice, and produces rice kernels that are drier than other rice kernels.
Paella rice should be slightly dry and grainy.
Bomba rice absorbs almost three times its volume in moisture.
This is a lot more than the average grain of rice, which only absorbs twice its volume.
Additional to absorbing a lot of moisture, this rice also absorbs lots of flavors.