காட்டுயானம்

Kattuyanam gets its name from its height. The plant grows tall enough that, as the story goes, a wild elephant could stand in the field unseen - which also made it resistant to flooding, since the ears stayed above rising water.

The grain is bolder and rounder than Mappillai Samba, red-brown, with the bran intact. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavour and a substantial texture that holds up well to gravies. Households that find other red rices too assertive often settle on this one.

It's a genuinely low-input crop - tolerant of poor soil, drought and flood alike - which is why it persisted in rain-fed areas long after irrigated land had switched to hybrids. Availability tracks the harvest closely, so it isn't always in stock.