Humankind cultivates Rice for thousand of years of history, and this cereal could be identified as the most popular all over the world. The history of the cultivation of Rice began a long time ago: archeological excavations show that six to seven thousand years ago, people grew up Rice and used it in food.
Evidence of that is shown in the remains of pottery with traces of Rice, ancient rice fields with a system of channels for irrigation, ancient Indian and Chinese manuscripts where Rice is listed in ritual offerings to gods and is idolized itself. Rice has a rich history and is full of adventures; the Rice is connected to the destiny of millions of people who grow up Rice and eat it daily since ancient times and to this day.
Historical information
Asia is considered to be the homeland of Rice: in Asia, and to be exact, in the north of modern Thailand and Vietnam, has started to cultivate rice for the first time.
This plant has turned up tasty, nutritious and gave more plentiful crop in comparison to millet and wheat. However, the process of distribution of Rice in Asia was slow enough: only starting from 500 B.C., rice fields could be seen in a significant part of India, China, Indochina, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Moving forward to the north, Rice easily adapted for more severe weather conditions.
If in Southern Asia rice demanded a lot of water and warm climate through the whole year, in central China, Korea, and Japan there ware sorts which accustomed to the cold of the night, and rather a small amount of water.
Other characteristics of Rice also varied; for example, in Korea and Japan, round grain rice which is sticking together at cooking, and at the bottom of the Himalayas Punjab, in the Indian province and Pakistan – especially well grew fragrant, long grain rice “basmati.”
For the first millennium of our era, Rice has subdued not only territories of the Middle East and became the recognized favorite, having pressed millet and wheat, but also has found a way to the hearts of people in Asia, becoming an integral part of their culture.
The value of Rice
Rice is one of the most often used products; it is the basic energy supply for half of the population of a planet. The value of Rice for our organism comes, first of all, in the carbohydrates. In fact, any groats, first of all, deliver the organism complex carbohydrates.
These substances serve as the basic energy sources for the work of the muscles. The most widespread of the carbohydrates – the starch, its ratio in the integral grain of Rice is about 55 %, and in rice groats about 70.7 %.
Other important elements for our body are food fibers of Rice which are not assimilated or absorbed and leave our organism “safe,” but carry away from our organism the trash with it, accelerating the outlet of slags, and also conduct good work of the digestive tract, preventing stagnation of the digested food.
Most of all, cellulose is in the raw Rice, and by using it, we reduce the danger of diseases of the thick gut, locks, and cancer.
Rice – a product which is advised to use also for the preservation of a healthy heart: in the Rice, there are practically no fats, there is no cholesterol, and the low contents of sodium.
Researches have shown that the offal of brown Rice lowers the contents of bad cholesterol (LDL) and keeps in the good blood cholesterol (HDL), reducing the risk of being ill with cardiovascular diseases. In Rice, there are no bad fats; on the other hand, in it, there is starch which causes a feeling of fullness; therefore, Rice – a good choice for those who struggle with excess weight.
In Chinese medicine, it is considered that Rice strengthens the spleen and the stomach; therefore, it is good at problems of digestion.
In addition, the Chinese do not forget about the soul, considering brown Rice as a good recommendation for stress and depressions, as in brown Rice, there are vitamins of group B which are useful for strengthening the nervous system.
The trends of Rice
In different parts of the world, we can say that there is a different relation to Rice. It can be said that there are two different trends for the consumption of Rice: The eastern trend, which is characteristic of the countries of Asia, and the western, inherent in the countries of Europe and America.
In the east, Rice is considered a bound attribute of everyday life and every eating meal. Not without reason, the expression “Bon appetite!” in some eastern languages in literal translation means “Have a rice,” and the eating procedure is “Rice meal.”
In Asia, the Rice occurred so long ago that it even caught the formation of languages in some nations.
In countries where farming is predominant, and rice cultivation is the meaning of life, Rice is adored and tried not to be mixed with other ingredients. Generally, the plate with the Rice is served independently and placed in the middle of the table as a symbol of the significance of this meal to the family.
In eastern cuisine, the Rice is mostly not seasoned with salt and unwillingly flavored with spices, trying not to kill its natural aroma.
In Europe, Rice began to win popularity much later, and this process occurred much more slowly. Initially, Rice was considered a very expensive, exotic plant from which grains it was pertinent to prepare only luxurious sweets for celebrations.
Gradually it has won a position of one of the basic products; however, unlike Asia, in Europe, Rice was not idolized and adored like it was in the east and considered possible to mix grains with other components of the meal. For this reason in Italy and Spain encouraged deducing such grades of Rice which would absorb the aroma of other components of a dish, whether it would be meat, seafood, or spices.
Distinctions concerning Rice in the West and the East are reflected even in rules of behavior while eating. Sorts of Rice, which grains while cooking stick together, Asians eat with hands, collecting Rice in small lumps with fingers.
It is also necessary to eat sushi with hands – a rice delicacy from Japanese cuisine. Inhabitants of the East eat with sticks white long-grained Rice.
Despite obvious differences concerning the preparation and consumption of Rice in the West and the East, and in many respects even owing to it, we can estimate the unique taste of dishes from Rice without dependence on where they have been made.
Rice and the cultural events
Rice is considered a ritual food for celebrating the New Year. In the celebration of the New Year in Japan, Oshogatsu, mochi (a sticky rice cake) is prepared by toasting over a fire (a tradition also used in central China) and served to make the New Year a good year. There is also a special rice wine which is used for the celebration.
The celebration of the New Year ends with special rice porridge. In the same way, celebrating the Chinese New Year, new koay (a sweet and sticky rice cake) is offered to the Gods in Malaysia, and Tet (the Lunar New Year) is celebrated with sticky rice cakes in Vietnam. Nien Gao (sticky rice cakes of different shapes and colors), sounding like “going high” in Chinese, is consumed in China for the celebrating of the Chinese Lunar New Year, symbolizing luck in the new year.
Celebrating the Lunar New Year in Thailand, sticky rice cakes are prepared with mortar and pestle and cooked in the fire until a golden brown color is obtained.
Meals of Rice can be important as a ritual food in other countries too.
On May 15 every year, the small town of Lucban in Quezon Province, the Philippines, celebrates the Pahiyas (precious offerings) Festival by decorating the outside of the houses with papayas made of rice flour paste.
In Sri Lanka, for the first day of every month and for festivals, karibath is served with milk and curries.
The dragon boat festival or Duwan Wu in China is a celebration that occurred on the 5th day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and a bound attribute for that Festival is zongzi.
Zongzi is the ritual food prepared in pairs from the sticky Rice, wrapped up in reed, bamboo, or palm leaves and tied up by multi-colored silk strings.
Zongzi often is different not only in taste but also in form. However, mostly it is triangular “envelopes” from leaves inside of which there is stuffing from sticky Rice with something more often: bean mashed potatoes, meat, a ham, an egg yolk.
Certainly, if to speak seriously, to eat zongzi in days of Dwan Wu is only a tradition.
Usually, one week prior to the holiday, people start to buy the various products necessary for the preparation of zongzi.
In the Philippines, the thanksgiving Festival is celebrated by sharing rice wine with spirits. In other ceremonies or festivals like naming ceremonies and birth day celebrations in India, Rice is also involved.
In other celebrations in India, such as Sister-Brother day, the Festival of light the Rice is an important attribute in the celebrations.
In Thailand, the Royal Plowing Ceremony has been a great event in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok for more than 700 years. In the ceremony, the Phraya Raek Na (Lord of the Festival) performs a rite to predict the weather during the coming season, plows the field with a pair of ceremonial bulls, and scatters the rice seeds into the field with the help of the four Nang Thesis (consecrated women). People will rush to the field to pick up the sacred rice grain to take home. In the past, the traditional dance Rabam Mae Posop was performed to honor the rice goddess. Cambodia also has ceremonies that indicate the beginning of the rice-growing season. (Owen, 102).
The value of Rice cannot be overestimated as a product; it is a product that is consumed in all parts of the world regardless of cultural distinctions.
Its value is not in the financial estimation, but indeed by its obvious differences in the relations that have been established to it throughout centuries.
Works Cited
Sri Owen. The Rice Book. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993.
Williams, W. W. “From Asia’s Good Earth: Rice, Society, and Science.” United Airlines Hemispheres, 1996.
Newman, Jaqueline M. “Cultural Aspects of Asian Dietary Habits.” In Asian Foods: Science and Technology, edited by Catharina Y. W. Ang, KeShun Liu, and Yao-Wen Huang. Lancaster, Pa.: Technomic, 1999.
Latham, A. J.H. Rice: The Primary Commodity. London: Routledge, 1998. Questia. 2008. Web.