Food from A to Z: R is for Rice

Complete Record: Rice is the most important food for many people around the world, but especially in Asia. Rice growing is dependent on the ample water which may be directly supplied by nature as during the drenching monsoon rains in Asia or through a fragile net of irrigation that feeds the thirsty rice plant in some parts of the USA. In countries where the labor market is abundant, the seeding and harvesting of rice is often done by hand. In other regions, highly mechanized means perform these functions from the seeding by airplane to the delivery to the mill. Gigantic rice mills process the paddy rice. A number of working models show the cleaning, hulling and polishing of the product. Polishing changes brown rice into white rice. The latter is preferred by most consumers even though important nutrients are lost in the process. Rice is an important energy food. It is high in carbohydrates. It further contains a limited amount of protein, some iron as well as vitamins E, K and B, Niacin and Thiamine. It is low in Sodium and has only a trace of fat. It is an excellent food for people on restricted diets. Rice and the harvest are important parts of people’s lives in many countries and, therefore, are represented in folklore and art.