Declining per capita consumption of boiled rice in Asia has accelerated national research and development on rice processed products to help maintain rice consumption levels. The processing of rice and the eating quality of the product are influenced by a number of functional properties which derive from the rice composition. The ratio of amylose to amylopectin in starch as indexed by apparent amylose content (AC) of milled rice is the chief influence on processing and eating quality. It correlates negatively with taste panel scores for cohesiveness, tenderness, and gloss of boiled rice. Most tropical nonwaxy varieties have ACs of 20% or higher. Japanese and Koreans prefer low‐AC rice (16%), while Filipinos, Indonesians, Malaysians, and Thais prefer 18–22% AC rices. Processed rice products were surveyed, with emphasis on Asia. Waxy rices are used in desserts, cakes, and sauces, low‐AC rices in baby foods and breakfast cereals, intermediate‐AC rices in canned soups and fermented rice cakes, and high‐AC rices in rice noodles.