Of the three cereal grains consumed around the world, rice is a versatile foodstuff with an interesting history. As a food staple, it nourishes more than half of the 7.75 billion people on our planet, but it means so much more to us than merely grains in a bowl - this is the stuff upon which empires are built. For this episode, As We Eat follows the story of rice from temple to terroir to table.
Confucius Says…
Confucian proverbs run the gamut from profane to profound, and about rice it is believed that he said: “With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bent arm for a pillow; I have still joy in the midst of all these things.”
Luckily for modern eaters, we can still experience joy in the midst of our eating without having to resort to coarse rice. In fact, we have four kinds of rice to enjoy from all over the world - indica, japonica, aromatic, and glutinous rice all have found roles in our kitchens, our diets, and even our spiritual practices.
History and Culture
Our history buff Leigh reviews the agricultural history of rice - a grain known to have been cultivated by humans for nearly 8,000 years - and introduces us to several rice gods, who not only have credit for good rice harvests and the well-being of the communities who rely upon rice as a major component of their diet, but also who represent the seven most fundamentals building blocks of life. Anywhere there is life, community builds.
Culture nerd Kim dives into rice’s immigration story and how the taste for rice (and the grains) came specifically to the West Coast of the United States with 18th Century immigrants from Asia, particularly Cantonese China. As families made their homes in California, Oregon, and Washington, new agricultural communities formed to produce food staples. One such community formed in California’s Sacramento Valley where the unique terroir created a rice so coveted that it once had its own black market.
We conclude with an unusual story of diplomatic difficulty centered around accusations of biopiracy and the importance of where rice is grown.
Does rice play a role in your meal planning?
Episode Transcript
🎧 Click here for the full, interactive transcript of this episode 🎧
Sources We Found Helpful for this Episode
Ingrained: Sharing the Untold Stories of California Rice, hosted by Jim Morris
The "7 GODS" in a Single Rice Grain! Why Farmers are Considered Gods in Japan
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EP 51 From Temple to Table: How Rice Built Communities Around the World