R
ice is a member of the
family of plants that
includes marijuana, grass and
bamboo. Its Latin name is oryza
sativa and it is believed to have
been used as a food crop in the
Yangtze Valley in China as long
ago as 6000 – 9000 BC. According
to a Chinese legend, rice came
to China tied to a dog’s tail and
rescued people from a famine
that occurred after a severe
flood. Around 20% of human
energy intake worldwide comes
from rice. It typically grows in
irrigated paddy fields. The seeds
in rice are contained in branching
heads called panicles. There is
also an African variety (oryza
glaberrima).
Rice is often eaten boiled, but can
also be made into flour, sweets,
wine or vinegar, cosmetics and
medicines as well as being used
in crafts and for religious purposes.
In China, glutinous rice cooked
into a thick porridge and mixed
with slaked lime has been used as
a form of masonry mortar for at
least 1500 years, including in the
construction of the Great Wall.
From China, oryza sativa migrated
to south-east Asia, Japan and
Korea which all rapidly became
rice-growing cultures. From India,
it spread through Afghanistan
and Iran into the Middle East
and North Africa. The Ancient
Greeks and Romans knew about
rice and valued it for its supposed
medicinal properties. Dioscorides
wrote that rice was “moderately
nutritious and it binds the bowel”
but neither culture used it as a
regular part of the diet.
The Moors brought rice cultivation
to Europe, following their 8th and
9th century conquests of Sicily
and the Iberian Peninsula. Spain
and Portugal quickly became
rice-growing areas. In Italy, rice
developed from an exotic Roman
medicine to being the centre-
piece of several northern Italian
dishes – Milanese risotto and the
‘risi e bisi’ of Venice.
Rice arrived in England via the
same Asian trade routes as spices
and was similarly costly and exotic.
The oldest known English
reference to rice is found in the
accounts of the court of Henry
III, which state that between
Christmas 1233 and the following
Easter, the Countess of Leicester’s
household munched their way
through 110 pounds of it.
British consumption of rice grew
over the centuries as trade (and
empire building) increased the
availability of this once-extravagant
grain and reduced its price
accordingly. In many areas of the
world, it remains fundamental to
daily life and is still keeping the
Great Wall of China in its place.
Sue Johnson
Poet & Novelist
Creative Writing Workshops
Critique Service & Talks
Tel: 01386 446477 • www.writers-toolkit.co.uk
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