Interesting facts about rice
1. Although some people may think that brown and white rice are different varieties, in fact they are not. Brown rice is whole grain rice that has not been fully processed and has retained the bran shell. Unlike the white variety, brown rice retains more nutrients and has a higher nutritional value for people.
White rice is the result of removing the husk, bran and germ from each grain. In addition, after such processing, it is usually polished, which makes it more uniform and tasty.
2. For more than half of the world's population, rice is the staple food. All over the world, people consume this cereal crop in huge quantities. For example, the average world consumption of rice is about 55 kilograms per person per year. In Asian countries, it exceeds 75-80 kg per person, in Africa - 25 kg, in Europe about 5 kg.
Most rice is eaten in poor Asian countries such as Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam. There, residents can eat 150-200 kg of rice per year, which is 3-4 times higher than the world average.
3. In addition to rice, the main food products in the world are wheat and corn. However, unlike corn and wheat, rice requires much more effort to grow. Farmers grow it from seeds in different beds. After seedlings emerge, the seedlings are moved to flooded rice fields where they complete their maturation.
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Planting this crop requires huge amounts of water as well as labor. On average, it takes 4,000 to 5,000 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of rice.
4. In 2011, genetic studies showed that all forms of rice originated from the domestication of the wild species, which happened around 8200-13500 BC in the Pearl River Valley region of ancient China.
Mass cultivation of rice began in China, India and Thailand, around 5000 BC. From there, the merchants, in part, exported the harvest to the West, where it also became popular. But historically, cultivation has always been more widespread in Asia than in other parts of the world, even though this culture adapts easily to any climatic conditions (except, of course, Antarctica).
5. In general, there are three different types of rice: short grain, medium grain and long grain rice. Historically, long-grain rice has been considered the best because the grains don't stick together.
6. If you've ever tried to remove sticky rice from the bottom of a pot, you know how sticky it is. And these properties were very useful to the builders during the construction of the Great Wall of China. When the Wall of China was being built during the Ming Dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries, workers used rice flour paste. The paste was obtained by mixing rice broth with slaked lime - calcium carbonate.
7. Rice can be stored for years, unless it is brown. Raw white rice stays fresh and edible for 10-30 years (depending on storage conditions). Raw brown rice, on the other hand, has a shelf life of three to six months, as its shell oxidizes and makes it unsuitable for consumption.
8. Not so long ago, an interesting stranger appeared in our stores - wild rice. Its grains are colored dark brown or black, quite long and shiny. In Europe, it has long been considered a delicacy, due to the laboriousness of its gathering. But let's tell you a secret; wild rice has nothing to do with the rice we are used to. While sown rice (Oryza sativa) belongs to the genus Rice (Oryza), wild rice belongs to the genus Zizania.
9. A rice plant can grow up to 1-1.8 meters tall (sometimes more), depending on the variety and soil fertility. This plant has long and thin leaves 50-100 centimeters long and 2-2.5 centimeters wide.
10. The largest producers of this crop are China, India and Indonesia.
11. Rice contains carbohydrates, B vitamins (such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and folate), iron, zinc, magnesium, fiber, etc. It has no sodium or cholesterol and almost no fat. It is naturally gluten free.
12. Its benefit to humans lies in its ability to quickly provide the human body with energy, improve intestinal motility, stabilize blood sugar levels and slow down the aging process.
13. In Eastern countries, it has long been considered a symbol of fertility, wealth and abundance. Therefore, at weddings in Eastern countries, it was customary to throw rice at the newlyweds. It was believed that in this way the guests wish the lovers a happy and rich life together. From the East, this tradition began to spread to the West.
14. The Philippines has the amazing Banaue Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These terraces were secretly nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World. It took over 2,000 years for the Ifugao mountain people to create these terraces.
Rice is tasty, easily accessible, relatively cheap and versatile food that can be eaten with a variety of dishes. And despite the fact that it is a staple food in various cultures, few people know anything about it.
And today we decided to take a closer look at this agricultural crop. In the article we have collected the most interesting facts about rice.
