ABSTRACT
In this paper, the author will establish the kinds of cereals in which glutinous-endosperm cultivars are found, their geographical distribution, and the nature of cultural practices specifically based on starch use within the distributional range. Non-glutinous starch consists of about 20 per cent amylose and 80 per cent amylopectin, while glutinous starch contains only amylopectin. Watabe has indicated that glutinous rice cultivation in Southeast Asia appears to focus on northern and northeastern Thailand and Laos, spreading to the surrounding regions of Myanmar, Yunnan, Vietnam and Cambodia. The samples from India, northern Pakistan, northeastern Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe included only non-glutinous forms. Finally, in Gamomeng village on the west coast of Halmahera, eastern Indonesia, bamboo rice is occasionally prepared for special events, such as a child's birthday or a visit by friends or relatives. Consequently, it might be hypothesized that people preferred the glutinous to the non-glutinous maize.
