Food card

Undercooked rice

Charaka counts undercooked rice, like overcooked or burnt food, as wrongly cooked: paka viruddha, incompatible by cooking.

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What the texts say

विरुद्धं पाकतश्चापि दुष्टदुर्दारुसाधितम्| अपक्वतण्डुलात्यर्थपक्वदग्धं च यद्भवेत्
viruddhaṃ pākataścāpi duṣṭadurdārusādhitam| apakvataṇḍulātyarthapakvadagdhaṃ ca yadbhavet
Incompatible by cooking is food cooked with damaged or bad fuel, and whatever is of uncooked rice grains, overcooked or burnt.[1]

Charaka puts uncooked rice under paka viruddha, food made incompatible by the way it is cooked. In the same line he names food cooked on damaged or bad fuel, and food that is overcooked or burnt.[1]

The modern view

We have not found a modern study that tests this rule.

From the classical texts

Questions people ask

Does Ayurveda say half-cooked rice has benefits?

The verse we opened says the opposite. Charaka counts uncooked rice as wrongly cooked food.[1]

Related

Sources

  1. Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana 26.99 (Atreyabhadrakapyiya Adhyaya).

Updated 4 November 2026

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