the.com/rice
the quiet grain feeding half of humanity while asking for almost nothing in return
means A small starchy grain harvested from a cultivated grass, eaten as a staple food across much of the world.
from It came into English through Old French 'ris' and Italian 'riso', from Latin 'oryza', which the Romans borrowed from Greek 'oryza' — a word likely picked up somewhere along the eastern trade routes, with possible roots in an Old Iranian or even Indian source. So the grain that feeds Asia carried its name westward right alongside the harvest.
- daily fuel
- Provides over a fifth of calories eaten worldwide
- ancient crop
- Domesticated in China over 9,000 years ago
- varieties
- More than 120,000 distinct types exist
- thirsty plant
- Needs roughly 2,500 liters of water per kilogram
- genome champ
- First crop with its full genome sequenced
basmati rice — long-grain rice from india and pakistan, accounts for ~60% of global aromatic rice trade
arborio rice — short-grain italian rice essential for risotto, grown primarily in piedmont since the 1600s
jasmine rice — fragrant long-grain rice from thailand, thailand exports over 9 million metric tons annually
sushi rice — short-grain japanese rice (koshihikari or similar), staple of japanese cuisine for centuries