It’s been estimated that there are around 120,000 different strains of rice. The International Rice Gene Bank holds over 100,000 rice varieties. About 40,000 types are regularly grown worldwide, but only a few are cultivated commercially. The majority of the rice consumed by humans comes from the seed of a grass called Oryza sativa, a name which merely means “cultivated rice.”
Rice was first cultivated in the Yangtze area of China around 10,000 years ago and spread around the world via trade routes. Today, rice is one of the most valuable crops grown worldwide, competing with sugar cane and maize (corn) for the top spots. However, much of the maize crop is used by livestock, but humans consume 95% of the rice crop.
The average American eats about 25 lbs of rice per year. However, people in Asia eat up to 300 lbs annually, and average 450 lbs in the United Arab Emirates, but just 10 lbs in France.
Rice is typically grown in rice paddies, with “paddy” springing from the Malaysian word “padi” meaning “a field where rice grows.”
The plant typically grows over a yard tall, with each plant sporting a cluster of stalks, each topped by a wheat-like flower composed of hundreds of tiny flowers. Each flower develops its own seed. Under ideal conditions, a single rice plant produces between 3,000 and 10,000 grains per plant. The record is 19,000 grains from a single plant, grown in China.
There are over 29,000 grains of rice in one pound of long grain rice. When cooked, rice swells to at least three times its original weight.
A pound of rice delivers about four times the food energy as the same serving of potatoes or pasta.
Brown rice is rice in its natural state. When the husk, bran, and sometimes the germ are removed, it becomes white rice. Brown rice is more nutritious, but white rice cooks faster.
White rice, when kept in a cool, dark location in sealed containers, can stay fresh for up to 30 years. However, brown rice spoils within a few months because the oils in the germ oxidize and turn rancid.
Rice does not really need much water to grow. It can tolerate being submerged, but does not require it. Rice paddies are flooded to drown out weeds and pests.
Whereas grains such as barley, rye, and wheat contain gluten, rice is naturally gluten-free.
80% of all the rice consumed in the U.S. is grown in the U.S. and about 40% of rice produced in the U.S. is grown in Arkansas The rest comes from the Mississippi delta region, the Gulf coast, and California.
Honda Motor Company is named after the founder’s family name. The word Honda in Japanese means “main rice field.” Similarly, Toyota was named after the founder, Kiichiro Toyoda, whose last name translates to “beautiful rice field.” His name was slightly simplified to make it easier to write in Japanese characters.
During the Ming dynasty, when large sections of the Great Wall of China were constructed, builders combined sticky rice and lime to create a special kind of mortar. The sticky rice served as a binding agent, making the mortar water-resistant. This special mortar was far more durable and stronger than regular mortar, and perhaps this is why the wall has lasted so long.
