50 Interesting Rice Fun Facts | Description, History, Cultivation, & Uses
Rice is one of the most essential food sources in the world, feeding more people directly than any other crop. As a result, it is a dietary staple in many countries. But what else do we know about this amazing crop? Check out these rice facts for yourself.
What is Rice?
Rice is the grain of the grass Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryza glaberrima (African rice).
It is the oldest known food that is still popular today.
Archaeologists traced Its consumption back to 5000 BC.
Rice grains are classified into three types: short, medium, and long.
April 19th is National Rice Ball Day, and there are over 40,000 varieties of rice.
Basmati, Thai Jasmine, and Italian Arborio are the three most popular.
Asia uses and produces 90% of the world’s rice.
People celebrate National Rice Month in September.
The brewed plant produces superb grappa and sake in addition to rice wine, vinegar, and beer.
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Chinese Rice Facts
Sticky rice holds the Great Wall of China together.
Everyone knows It is very difficult to get encrusted rice out of the bottom of a pot.
Laborers used rice pudding and hydrated lime as cement to hold the Great Wall’s stones together during the Ming dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries.
People also use rice when leaving the marriage ceremony and after the couple’s blessing.
It is customary in all cultures to pour grains of rice over the newlyweds’ heads to wish them success and fertility in the years ahead.
The Chinese invented fried rice as a way to use up excess food.
Sources say it began in the Sui dynasty between 589 and 618 AD.
However, because it is a native of Yangzhou, they call this fried rice Yangchow fried rice.
People know South China for its Chinese fried rice, as rice is the main grain in that region.
Pigs were fed the largest bowl of fried rice.
In October 2015, 300 chefs gathered in Yanzhou, China, to set a world record for the biggest bowl of fried rice.
They succeeded by weighing in at 9,242 pounds a bowl of Yeung Chow fried rice.
They made it with rice, eggs, chicken, ham, shrimp, dried scallops, and vegetables.
Everyone rejoiced until images surfaced of people packing the rice into delivery trucks and transporting it to pig farms.
The organizers judged the rice unsafe for humans
Guinness wanted the whole rice to be good to eat (by humans).
It was part of their requirements.
The Turkey Culinary Federation in Bolu, Turkey, still holds the record with a 6,944-pound bowlful.
US Rice Facts
The rice industry in the United States produces 20 billion pounds of rice per year.
There are 5,563 rice farmers in the country who cultivate rice on a total of 2.8 million acres.
Local farmers do the majority of the farming in the six major rice-producing states of Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas.
Each rice plantation, on average, contributes $1 million to the local economy.
The rice industry in the United States contributes more than $34 billion to the US economy each year and employs more than 125,000 people.
The United States is the world’s fifth-largest producer of rice and the largest rice exporter outside of Asia.
Every year, the rice industry in the USA distributes 40 million pounds of rice to fight food shortages.
95 percent of all sushi consumed in the United States is made with rice grown in the United States.
The US grows eighty percent of all rice consumed in the country.
Every year, the average American consumes 27 pounds of rice.
Rice grown in the United States is naturally gluten-free and the least allergenic of all grains.
All rice grown in the United States is sodium-free, cholesterol-free, and GMO-free.
A serving of rice grown in the United States contains more than 15 vitamins and minerals.
Global Rice Facts
1. Rice is a common staple in low and lower-middle-income countries.
2. Rice accounts for at least 20% of the daily calorie intake of more than half of the world’s population.
3. Wheat, corn, and rice are the three most important food crops in the world.
4. Rice comes in over 40,000 different varieties.
5. Wheat, corn, and rice account for nearly half of all calories consumed by the global population.
6. Rice consumption per capita is highest in Laos, Bangladesh, and Cambodia.
7. China consumes the most rice in the world as a whole.
8. The world’s largest rice producers are China and India.
9. Asia has the highest per capita rice consumption of any continent.
10. Every year, the majority of rice-eating Asian countries consume more than 100 kg of rice per capita.
11. Rice is Africa’s and Latin America’s fastest-growing mainstay.
12. Wheat consumption is lowest in the poorest countries.
13. The United States consumes the least amount of rice in the world.
14. The average American consumes up to 10 cups of rice per year, whereas Asians consume 5 to 10 cups of rice per day.
15. Raw white rice can be kept fresh and edible for 10-30 years if properly stored.
16. A single rice seed produces over 3,000 grains.
17. Except for Antarctica, rice is grown in almost every part.
18. Brown rice contains more fiber than white rice.
19. Rice has many health benefits
20. Growing rice takes a lot of water.
Interesting Facts
21. Honda is Japanese for “main rice field.”
22. Cooked rice decays quickly.
23. Brown rice contains phytic acid.
24. Rice is gluten-free by nature.
25. Several countries produce basmati rice.
26. Paella is a popular Spanish rice-based seafood dish.
27. Rice is an annual plant
28. After Asia, Africa is one of the world’s oldest rice producers.
29. Rice aids Africans in their fight
30. Australia’s top rice producers are the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys.
31. Rice originated in China around 2000 BC, according to evidence.
32. Amylopectin levels are highest in sticky rice.
33. Basmati rice has a number of health benefits.
34. Several countries produce basmati rice.
35. After cooking, rice with a high amylose content does not stick together.
36. The two major subspecies of Oryza Sativa are Japonica and Indica rice.
37. The major benefit of brown rice is its ability to prevent diabetes.
38. The major distinction between white and brown rice is refinement.
39. A high carbohydrate diet can set off a vicious cycle of food cravings.
40. The quality of Japanese rice is well-known throughout the world.
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Final Words
Rice appears to have a long history and is here to stay.
It is clearly one of the world’s food staples.
It is responsible for feeding half of the world’s population.
That is a huge accomplishment for any food crop. Respect it!
