Short-grain rice is rice with short, plump grains that cook up soft, sticky, and slightly chewy, clinging together rather than staying separate. The stickiness comes from a high proportion of amylopectin, the branched starch that swells and releases during cooking. It is the rice of Japanese sushi, Italian risotto, Spanish paella, and British rice pudding, each cuisine exploiting its cling and creaminess. The grains need less water than long-grain types and benefit from resting after cooking so the texture evens out. Nutritionally it resembles other white rices, though its stickiness gives it a higher glycaemic response. For dishes where the grains must hold together, nothing else will do.