World Rice Day has been celebrated annually on September 20, since 2004, when the International Year of Rice was held at the initiative of the UN. This holiday is truly worldwide in nature, since rice is one of the most popular cereals on all continents of planet Earth. The national cuisines of each country have their own varied recipes for dishes using rice.
In addition, today's date – is also an occasion to recall that hunger – is one of the global problems of humanity, and rice, as an unpretentious, nutritious and cheap crop, is a staple food for millions of people, its production and sale feed about two billion people.
This cereal has a long history – according to archaeological data, it began to be grown more than 7 thousand years ago. Although it is not known for certain – which country was his homeland, it is definitely – in East Asia. The Persians – distinguished themselves in importing rice; for a long time they were its main suppliers to other continents. This is how rice got to Africa – about 2-3 thousand years ago, and then to Europe and other countries of the world.
Today there are about 20 species of this cereal crop. The main producers of – include China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, which supply more than 75% of the world's rice harvest to other countries.
The popularity of cereal is not accidental – due to its beneficial properties and compatibility with other ingredients (meat, seafood, vegetables and dairy products), it forms the basis of the diet for many people.
According to the type of grain, rice is traditionally divided into three types: long-grain (it is not boiled or stuck together, and therefore is ideal, for example, for pilaf), medium-grain (risotto is more often prepared from it and added to soups) and round-grain (it is more suitable for sushi, milk porridge and various desserts). The color and benefits of rice depend on the degree of grain processing. Brown, or brown, that is, unpolished rice –, it is practically not processed and retains all the beneficial substances contained in the shell. White (polished) – is the most common type. It does not contain many minerals and vitamins that are present in brown rice, but it is stored for a long time. Steamed rice (steam-treated) – is a kind of middle between previous species.
The national cuisines of each country have their own variety of recipes for dishes using rice (Photo: genius87, licensed from Shutterstock.com)
As for the beneficial properties of cereal –, it is difficult to overestimate them. Rice, as a product, not only replenishes energy costs, perfectly satisfying hunger and restoring strength, but also serves as an important source of complex carbohydrates, amino acids and minerals, and its lack of fat makes it a low-calorie food. Rice does not contain cholesterol, sodium or gluten, which allows many people to include it in their diet. But it contains almost all B vitamins, which are necessary for general metabolism and normal functioning of all body systems, as well as – manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium and copper. It is believed that the healthiest brown rice for humans is –, which helps improve the functioning of the circulatory and digestive systems and eliminate toxins.
In honor of the holiday, you can prepare some dish from the « hero of the occasion» – from snacks to dessert, fortunately there are plenty of recipes in world cuisine. These could be Japanese rolls and sushi, Cuban – rice with tomato and egg, Spanish paella with chicken or seafood, Italian risotto, Uzbek pilaf, Georgian kharcho, Russian pies filled with rice and eggs, English pudding or Thai rice dessert... Pleasant appetite!