Learn About Rice

Rice has been cultivated for millennia, starting in China 4000 years ago. Just as Roman soldiers were paid with salt (salary) Chinese coolies were paid with rice. Rice has fed more of the human race for a longer period than any other crop.

The Mediterranean area was slow to adopt rice as a staple food because of the fear of malaria being promoted by the swampy area required for growing rice.

Rice was adopted as a staple by India, Africa, and India. The traditional cultivation methods; of plowing using water buffalo and planting seedlings by hand has been supplemented by the western growers with huge machinery with seeds often sewn by using aircraft. After the plants have emerged from the soil, the field is flooded with the water depth carefully regulated for three or four months, until it is time for the harvest. Then, the fields are drained of water and ‘combines’ are used to harvest the grain, as is done with other grain crops.

The threshed grain is processed by a process called ‘milling’ which removes the inedible outer husk from the grain, yielding ‘brown’ rice which the inclusion of the bran covering of the rice grain..

There are two species and many hundreds of sub-species of rice. It is believed that this division process began over 15 million years ago and it grows wild in many places. There are 20 cultivated varieties of rice, divided into three groups; Long Grained rice, Medium Grain rice, and Short Grained rice.

Parboiled rice is the result of soaking the brown rice in water and steaming it, which drives the nutrients found in the bran into the kernel. The rice is then dried in preparation for market.

Brown rice is milled with the bran layer left on the grain

Regular milled rice has had the bran layer ‘polished’ off under pressure. Vitamins and minerals are added, making ‘enriched’ rice.

Long grained rice is popular because the cooked grains do not stick together, making it preferred for many rice dishes.

Medium Grained rice is moist and soft when it is cooked, making it good for stir frying.

Short Grained rice sticks together when cooked, making it suitable for puddings etc.

Even though rice is a starch food, it is low and calories and a nutritious non-fat food. It provides 160 calories for a 3/4 cup serving. It is naturally low in sodium, cholesterol free, and it is a good source of complex carbohydrates.

R.D.

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