Rice Facts

RICE ESSENTIAL FACTS ABOUT RICE IS THE SEED OF THE MONOCOT PLANTS ORYZA SATIVA (ASIAN RICE) OR ORYZA GLABERRIMA (AFRICAN RICE). AS A CEREAL GRAIN, IT IS THE MOST WIDELY CONSUMED STAPLE FOOD FOR MORE THAN 3 BILLION PEOPLE WHO EAT IT EVERYDAY, ESPECIALLY IN ASIA AND THE WEST INDIES. IT IS ACTUALLY A TYPE OF GRASS AND BELONGS TO A FAMILY OF PLANTS THAT INCLUDES OTHER CEREALS SUCH AS WHEAT AND CORN. IT IS THE GRAIN WITH THE SECOND-HIGHEST WORLDWIDE PRODUCTION, AFTER MAIZE (CORN), ACCORDING TO DATA FOR 2010. SINCE A LARGE PORTION OF MAIZE CROPS ARE GROWN FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN HUMAN CONSUMPTION, RICE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT GRAIN WITH REGARD TO HUMAN NUTRITION AND CALORIC INTAKE, PROVIDING MORE THAN ONE FIFTH OF THE CALORIES CONSUMED WORLDWIDE BY THE HUMAN SPECIES. RICE IS RICH IN NUTRIENTS AND CONTAINS A NUMBER OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS. IT IS AN EXCELLENT SOURCE OF COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES-THE BEST SOURCE OF ENERGY. HOWEVER, A LOT OF THESE NUTRIENTS ARE LOST DURING MILLING AND POLISHING, WHICH TURNS BROWN RICE INTO WHITE RICE BY REMOVING THE OUTER RICE HUSK AND BRAN TO REVEAL THE WHITE GRAIN. RICE FACT THE INTERNATIONAL RICE GENEBANK - THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTION OF RICE DIVERSITY - CONTAINS MORE THAN 112,000 DIFFERENT TYPES OF RICE INCLUDING SPECIES OF WILD RICE, THE ANCESTORS OF RICE, TRADITIONAL AND HEIRLOOM VARIETIES, AND MODERN VARIETIES. FAQS WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BROWN AND WHITE RICE? BROWN RICE HAS ITS BRAN LAYER INTACT, WHEREAS WHITE RICE HAS HAD ITS BRAN LAYER REMOVED BY A POLISHING PROCESS. BROWN RICE IS CONSIDERED HEALTHIER THAN WHITE RICE AS MANY NUTRIENTS ARE CONTAINED IN THE BRAN LAYER, HOWEVER BROWN RICE HAS A DIFFERENT TASTE AND TEXTURE, TAKES LONGER TO COOK, AND DOES NOT STORE AS WELL AS WHITE RICE. WHAT IS BASMATI RICE? BASMATI RICE IS A TYPE OF AROMATIC RICE, GROWN MOSTLY IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN. IT IS RENOWNED FOR ITS LONG, SLENDER SHAPE THAT ELONGATES RATHER THAN EXPANDS IN WIDTH WHEN IT IS COOKED. THE WORD BASMATI MEANS "QUEEN OF FRAGRANCE," AND THE RICE IS DISTINGUISHED BY ITS AROMA. RICE FACT TO PLOW 1 HECTARE OF LAND IN THE TRADITIONAL WAY, A FARMER AND HIS WATER BUFFALO MUST WALK 80 KM. WHAT IS INDICA RICE? INDICA RICE IS A BROAD GROUP OF MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF RICE THAT IS USUALLY GROWN IN HOT CLIMATES. IT HAS A TYPICALLY LONG GRAIN AND WHEN COOKED INDICA RICE DOES NOT STICK TOGETHER AND REMAINS LIGHT AND FLUFFY. MOST OF THE RICE PRODUCED IN SOUTHERN ASIA, INCLUDING INDIA AND THAILAND, IS INDICA RICE. WHAT IS JASMINE RICE? JASMINE RICE IS AN AROMATIC LONG-GRAIN RICE GROWN ONLY IN THAILAND AND IS DISTINGUISHED BY ITS FRAGRANCE AND A WATER MILLING PROCESS THAT LEAVES THE GRAINS SILKEN TO THE TOUCH. THE GRAINS ARE SIMILAR IN SIZE TO LONG-GRAIN RICE BUT COOK MOIST AND TENDER LIKE A MEDIUM-GRAIN RICE. WHAT IS JAPONICA RICE JAPANESE RICE (ORYZA SATIVA SSP. JAPONICA), ALSO KNOWN AS JAPONICA, URUCHIMAI OR SUSHI RICE, IS A SHORT-GRAIN VARIETY OF RICE CHARACTERIZED BY A UNIQUE, SOMEWHAT STICKY TEXTURE. IT IS A CENTRAL INGREDIENT IN JAPANESE CUISINE. RICE FACT THE FIRST DOCUMENTED AOCOUNT OF RICE WAS BY A CHINESE EMPEROR ABOUT 2,800 BC. BANGLADESH TOP TEN RICE CONSUMERS (IN METRIC TONS) CHINA: 102,640,324 INDIA: 82,602.265 INDONESIA: 28,146,034 BANGLADESH: 25,196,763 VIET NAM: 14,255,523 PHILIPPINES: 11,470,307 MYANMAR: 7,710,029 INDONESIA INDIA JAPAN: 7,214,929 THAILAND: 6,904,528 BRAZIL: 6,318,838 CHINA VIETNAM TOP TEN RICE PRODUCERS (IN METRIC TONS) BẠNGLADESH CHINA: 197,212,010 INDIA: 120,620,000 INDONESIA: 66,411,500 BANGLADESH: 49,355,000 VIETNAM: 39,988,900 MYANMAR: 33,204,500 THAILAND: 31,597,200 PHILIPPINES: 15,771,700 BRAZIL: 11,308,900 INDONESIA INDIA CHINA RICE FACT THREE OF THE WORLD'S FOUR MOST POPULOUS NATIONS ARE RICE-BASED SOCIETIES: PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, INDIA, AND INDONESIA. TOGETHER, THEY HAVE NEARLY 2.5 BILLION PEOPLE ALMOST HALF OF THE WwORLD'S POPULATION. TOP TEN RICE EXPORTERS (IN METRIC TONS) THAILAND: 6,902,450 VIET NAM: 3,411,040 PAKISTAN: 2,517,780 INDIA: 2,131.270 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 1,705,590 URUGUAY: 707,892 CHINA: 622,161 ITALY: 583,734 EGYPT: 560,430 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 521,657 TOP TEN RICE IMPORTERS (IN METRIC TONS) PHILIPPINES: 1,752,450 SAUDI ARABIA: 1,258,730 MALAYSIA: 1,055,680 CÔTE D'IVOIRE: 865,334 IRAN (ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF): 780,147 IRAQ 755,803 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 731,315 SOUTH AFRICA: 730,357 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 539,069 CAMEROON: 463,406 RICE FACTS THERE ARE MORE THAN 40,000 VARIETIES OF RICE THAT GROW ON EVERY CONTINENT EXCEPT ON ANTARCTICA. SOME RESEARCH SHOWS THAT RICE MAY HAVE BEEN INDIGENOUS TO INDIA OVER 4,000 YEARS AGO AND MOVED EASTWARD TO INDOCHINA AND TO SOUTHEAST ASIA. IN BURMA, A PERSON CONSUMES ABOUT FIVE-HUNDRED POUNDS OF RICE A YEAR. IN THE USA, A PERSON CONSUMES ABOUT TWENTY POUNDS OF RICE A YEAR, WITH ABOUT FOUR POUNDS ATTRIBUTED TO THE USE OF RICE IS FOR BREWING AMERICAN BEERS. THERE IS ENOUGH RICE THAT GROWS IN ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, LOUISIANA, TEXAS, MISSISSIPPI AND MISSOURI TO RANK THE USA AS THE TWENTIETH LARGEST RICE PRODUCER IN THE WORLD AND THE SECOND LARGEST EXPORTED OF RICE. ABOUT HALF OF ALL THE RICE GROWN IN THE USA IS EXPORTED. THAILAND IS THE FIRST EXPORTER OF RICE. RICE IS A SYMBOL OF LIFE AND FERTILITY, WHICH IS WHY RICE WAS TRADITIONALLY THROW AT WEDDINGS. AFTER RICE HAS BEEN FULLY COOKED, EACH GRAIN OF RICE SWELLS TO THREE TIMES IN ORIGINAL WEIGHT. JAPANESE PEOPLE BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOT WASTE RICE, SO IT YOU LEAVE RICE IN YOUR BOWL IT IS CONSIDERED TO BE RUDE. RICE HULLS CAN BE BURNED TO PROVIDE ENERGY. MEDIUM AND SHORT GRAIN RICE CONTAINS AMYLOPECTIN WHICH IS THE WAXY STARCH RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THE STICKY RICE. RICE IS AN EXCELLENT SOURCE OF ENERGY, ESPECIALLY ENERGY-GIVING CARBOHYDRATES, WHICH ARE USED IN THE BODY FOR BRAIN PERFORMANCE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, BODILY FUNCTIONS AND EVERYDAY GROWTH AND REPAIR. AFTER CARBOHYDRATE, PROTEIN IS THE SECOND MOST ABUNDANT CONSTITUENT OF RICE. WHEN COMPARED TO THAT OF OTHER GRAINS, RICE PROTEIN IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY PROTEINS. RICE IS LOW IN FAT AND CHOLESTEROL FREE. RICE CONTAINS NEGLIGIBLE AMOUNTS OF SODIUM, WITH LESS THAN SMG SODIUM PER 100G SERVE. IT IS THEREFORE A SUPER FOOD FOR THOSE WHO NEED TO WATCH THEIR SALT INTAKE. BOTH WHITE AND BROWN VARIETIES OF RICE CONTAIN ESSENTIAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS, INCLUDING B-GROUP VITAMINS (E.G. THIAMIN, NIACIN) ZINC AND PHOSPHORUS. BROWN RICE CONTAINS MORE NUTRIENTS AND FIBRE THAN WHITE RICE SINCE IT RETAINS THE BRAN AND GERM, WHERE MANY OF THE VITAMINS AND MINERALS ARE FOUND. THE BRAN LAYER OF BROWN RICE PROVIDES VALUABLE DIETARY FIBRE. ONE CUP (160G) OF COOKED BROWN RICE CONTAINS AROUND 2.4G OF DIETARY FIBRE, WHICH EQUATES TO 8% OF AN AVERAGE MAN'S DAILY FIBRE NEEDS AND 9.6% OF AN AVERAGE WOMAN'S DAILY FIBRE NEEDS. RICE IS GLUTEN FREE AND THE MOST NON-ALLERGENIC OF ALL GRAINS. TO RETAIN NUTRIENTS, DO NOT RINSE RICE UNDER WATER BEFORE OR AFTER COOKING. BROWN RICE CONTAINS NATURAL OILS IN THE BRAN, SO IT HAS A SHORTER SHELF LIFE THAN WHITE RICE. IT'S BEST TO REFRIGERATE OR FREEZE BROWN RICE TO EXTEND ITS SHELF LIFE. COLONISTS WERE THE FIRST TO CULTIVATE RICE IN AMERICA. IT BEGAN BY ACCIDENT WHEN A SHIP'S CAPTAIN MADE A GIFT OF "GOLDE SEEDE RICE" TO A LOCAL PLANTER IN SOUTH CAROLINA. ARKANSAS IS THE LEADING RICE PRODUCING STATE, FOLLOWED BY CALIFORNIA, LOUISIANA, TEXAS, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI AND FLORIDA. RICE IS USED IN BEER, DOG FOOD, BABY FOOD, BREAKFAST CEREALS, SNACKS, FROZEN FOODS AND SAUCES, AND MUCH MORE! THERE IS ALSO RESEARCH ON GROWING RICE THAT IS PACKED WITH VITAMINS. THIS COULD HELP FEED MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN COUNTRIES WITH LITTLE FOOD. RICE CAN GERMINATE AND THRIVE IN FLOODED FIELDS. RICE IS SOMETIMES PLANTED BY BROADCASTING SEEDS FROM AN AIRPLANE MOST OF THE RICE GROWN IN ARKANSAS IS CLASSIFIED AS LONG GRAIN RICE. IT TAKES 5,000 LITERS OF WATER TO PRODUCE 1 KG OF IRRIGATED RICE. ASIA IS HOME TO 250 MILLION RICE FARMS. MOST ARE LESS THAN 1 HECTARE. IN SEVERAL ASIAN LANGUAGES THE WORDS FOR 'FOOD' AND 'RICE' ARE IDENTICAL RICE IS THROWN ON NEWLY MARRIED COUPLES AS A SYMBOL OF FERTILITY, LUCK AND WEALTH. 65 KILOS OF RICE ARE MILLED ANNUALLY FOR EVERY PERSON ON EARTH. www.GOURMANDIA.CA THE BEST RICE RECIPES ARE HERE. SOURCES: Www.RICEFEST.COM, Wwww.SUNRICE.COM, WwW.KIDSARUS.ORG, SOURCING.INDIAMART.COM, WwW.IRRI.ORG, WIKIPEDIA