Grains of Truth
Sunday
Rice cultivation is old. Evidence of domestication in Asia goes back as far as 7,000 BC.
Monday
Rice is Asia’s biggest crop by far, where 90% of the world’s 500,000,000-ton annual harvest is grown.
Tuesday
Rice is very, very, varied. There are 40,000-120,000 different rice varieties in the world, but only a fraction of that amount are commonly eaten. It is grown on every continent but Antarctica.
Wednesday
The product called “wild rice” isn’t related to other rice varieties but comes from an aquatic grass native to North America and was first harvested by Native Americans.
Thursday
All rice starts as “brown” or “whole grain” rice. The bran, germ, and endosperm make it darker in color and add nutrition and fiber, but these are removed to make “white” rice, which is the remaining starchy grain.
Friday
Rice can stick stubbornly to your cooking pot and also hold massive structures up. Sticky rice was added to standard lime mortar during China’s Ming Dynasty used in many large structures, including bridges, temples, tombs, and sections of the Great Wall of China. Centuries later, scientists concluded the addition of sticky rice added strength and resilience to these structures, as well as being the first known use of a mortar made with organic and inorganic ingredients.
Saturday
Because rice paddies are already so wet, letting fish swim in them is a beneficial and less chemically-intensive way to fertilize the soil.