Day 14: History of Rice

It is eaten plain, fried, with pork or soy sauce. It is eaten morning, noon and night. The crop is the second highest worldwide production and is the most important staple food for most of the world's population.

Image Courtesy of wellnessuncovered.com

Rice was first domesticated in the region of the Yangtze River valley, which is where I will be floating down when on a riverboat for a couple days in China. Hopefully, from the river I'll be able to see some rice paddies. Unfortunately it will not be harvest season in nine days.

The majority of rice produced comes from China, Korea, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar,the Philippines and Japan. Overall, Asian farmers account for 92% of the world's total rice production.

During the period before the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC), rice was used to brew wines and offered as a sacrifice to the Gods. This rice wine is called sake, and I've never tried it. I've heard it's an acquired taste, but if my family has had it maybe I'll like it. We'll see.

Earlier this month Wellness Uncovered released an article stating that high concentrations of metals have been found in China's rice. The high-paced industrialization of the country has produced a wide-spread contamination, increasing the pollution in cities and waters, which hurts agricultural business, particularly of rice. Rice absorbs metals, particularly cadmium found near the mines and now it is believed up to 10% of the country's produce is contaminated.

As long as it's cooked I'm up for eating it. When I think of how many people in China live in poverty, and that their main food source has become contaminated, I feel bad. I want to do something. The only thing I know of is Freerice.com. Free Rice is a nonprofit organization that helps people learn many subjects by asking multiple choice questions, and whenever someone gets an answer right, 10 grains of rice is donated to third-world countries. What about China? China is the main producer and although it isn't completely a third-world country, the rural farmers need food too.

So when you get bored, play freerice and stop world hunger.

Moos'n Out!