Rice comes in several types, Jasmine,
Thai Glutinous, Sticky, White Brown, Black, Red, Cargo, Berry, Fragrant,
Basmati, Pilau just to name a few examples although names vary, they all come
from the seed. Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or less commonly Oryza glaberrima (African rice). The name wild
rice is usually used for species of the genera Zizania and Por Teresia, both wild and
domesticated, although the term may also be used for primitive or uncultivated
varieties of Oryza. As a cereal grain, domesticated rice is the most
widely consumed staple food for over half of the world's human
population, especially in Asia and Africa. It is the
agricultural commodity with the third-highest worldwide production
(rice, 741.5 million metric tons or 817.4 million short tons in
2014), after sugarcane (1.9 billion metric tons or
2.1 billion short tons) and maize (1.0 billion metric tons
or 1.1 billion short tons). Since sizable portions of sugarcane and maize
crops are used for purposes other than human consumption, rice is the most
important food crop with regard to human nutrition and caloric intake,
providing more than one-fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by
humans. There are many varieties of rice
and culinary preferences tend to vary regionally. The traditional method for
cultivating rice is flooding the fields while, or after, setting the young
seedlings. This simple method requires sound irrigation planning but reduces
the growth of less robust weed and pest plants that have no submerged growth
state, while flooding is not mandatory for the cultivation of rice, all other
methods of irrigation require higher effort
in weed and pest control during growth periods and a
different approach for fertilizing the soil. Rice can come in many shapes,
colours, and sizes. Rice, a monocot, is normally grown as an annual
plant, although in tropical areas it can survive as a perennial and
can produce a crop for up to 30 years.
Ingredients: Rice 100%
Fun
Facts: A Royal Ploughing Ceremony is held in
certain Asian countries to mark the beginning of the rice planting season. It
is still honoured in the kingdoms of Thailand.
