YOGI FOOD
by Jeff Perlman
The Secret (and not-so-secret)
Life of Rice
C
olor, texture, flavor, and region are
only a few of the distinguishing char-
acteristics of rice--one of the world’s
most popular grains. Rice is important for
human nutrition; it provides one-fifth of the
calories consumed worldwide by humans and
is a staple food in many parts of the world—
especially throughout Asia and India. It’s use
and benefits are described in Asian systems
of medicine such as Chinese Medicine and
Ayurveda. Rice is the seed found in the grass
species Oryza sativa; it is classified as the ce-
real grain with the second-highest worldwide
production after maize (corn).
While white rice used to be the standard-
bearer in a typical American grocery, a grow-
ing interest in global cuisine had led to an
increased availability of types of rice that were
once harder to find or even forbidden (liter-
ally). Not all rice is created equal. Learning a
bit more about rice can upgrade our meal-
planning options and help us to appreciate the
healing properties of this staple food.The History of Rice
This grain has been part of human history for
so long that there is controversy and debate
about where, when, and who first cultivated
rice in the world. In 2011, the Stanford, NewYork, Washington, and Purdue Universities
came to the conclusion that rice was first
domesticated in the Yangtze River Valley in
China around 12,000 years ago; cultivation
then spread to South Asia, then to Europe,
and finally to the Americas.
In today’s world, 92% of all rice comes
from Asian countries—including China, India,
Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam,
Thailand, Philippines, and Japan. According
to the International Rice Association, there
are more than 40,000 varieties of Oryza
sativa currently being produced in the world
and more than 90,000 samples of cultivated
and wild rice species stored at the Internation-
al Rice Gene Bank in the Philippines, which
are used for research.
The majority of rices are grown as annu-
als (completes its life cycle from germination
to the production of seed within one year),
although in some tropical areas it can survive
as a perennial (lives for more than two years).
Oryza sativa, commonly known as Asian rice,
is well-suited to countries and regions with low
labor costs and high rainfall, as it is both labor-
intensive to cultivate and requires ample water.
Rice can be grown practically anywhere,
even on a steep hill or mountain, with the use
of water controlling terrace systems. Beforerice can be planted, the soil surface must
be level (so terraces are built on hillsides)—
preparation involves plowing and harrowing,
which is known as “tilling.” Tilling allows
the seeds to be planted at the right depth and
helps with weed control.
Rice is planted by either transplanting
or direct seeding. Transplanting is the most
common technique, where pre-germinated
seedlings are transferred from a seedbed to
the wet field; this requires fewer seeds but is
more labor intensive. Direct seeding involves
planting dry or pre-germinated seeds on the
soil surface by hand or by machine, and then
incorporating, either by plowing or by har-
rowing, while the soil is still dry.
Cultivating rice is extremely sensitive to
water shortages, so most rice farmers aim to
maintain flooded conditions in their fields.
Nutrient management is considered fairly easy
because flooding conserves the soil’s organic
matter, so little or no fertilizer is required.
Most rice crops reach maturity at around 125
days, and harvesting is done manually with a
sickle or mechanically.
An innovation in rice growing is System of
Rice Intensification (SRI). It was developed in
Madagascar in the 1980s and based on chang-
ing the management of rice agriculture increas-