There is no denying that we are in rice country. Rice fields dominate the landscape! It is a source of employement and income for over 100 million people and no meal goes without eating rice. Truth be told, I always liked rice. I like any kind of rice dish as much as I like any kind of potato dish. Rice is not easy to grow, as it is unique in how it grows, and so I thought a blog about rice might be fun to write.

Here are some facts about rice.

• Rice is a grain or cereal, like wheat or oats.

• Rice is the seed harvested from the long, grass-like stalk of the Oryza sativa plant (Asian rice) or the Oryza glaberrima (African rice).

• Rice is the third-highest worldwide produced crop, after sugarcane and corn.

• Chinese legends attribute the domestication of rice to Shennong, the legendary emperor of China and inventor of Chinese agriculture.

• It is said that there are more than 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice.

Rice cultivation is well-suited to countries and regions with low labor costs and high rainfall, as it is labor-intensive to cultivate and requires ample water. However, rice can be grown practically anywhere, even on a steep hill or mountain area with the use of water-controlling terrace systems. Methods of growing differ greatly in different localities, but in most Asian countries the traditional hand methods of cultivating and harvesting rice are still practiced. The fields are prepared by plowing (typically with simple plows drawn by water buffalo or two wheel tractor), fertilizing (usually with dung or sewage), and smoothing (by dragging a log over them).

The seedlings are started in seedling beds and, after 30 to 50 days, are transplanted by hand to the fields, which have been flooded by rain or river water. During the growing season, irrigation is maintained by dike-controlled canals or by hand watering. Depending on the variety, a rice crop usually reaches maturity at around 105–150 days after crop establishment. The fields are allowed to drain before cutting.

Asia alone both produces and consumes more than 90% of the world’s rice.

The three largest producers of rice in the world are China, India and Indonesia. In our new country of Indonesia the average person consumes about 330 pounds of rice a year. In the United States, the average person consumes 25 pounds of rice per year. The Chinese word for rice is the same as the word for food; in Thailand when you call your family to a meal you say, “eat rice”; in Japan the word for cooked rice is the same as the word for meal.

When we first arrived in Indonesia we were told that it is said that “you have not eaten until you have had rice”. We now undetstand!

Rice does not have sodium or cholesterol and barely any fat. Rice is naturally gluten free. Rice is also a symbol of life and fertility, which is why rice was traditionally thrown at weddings. In China a typical greeting, instead of “How are you?” is “Have you had your rice today?”. A greeting to which one is expected to always reply, “Yes”.

NASI GORENG has become one of our favorite meals. It’s the indonesian version of fried rice and always served with a fried egg on top! How can you go wrong with that!? If you feel adventurous, here are some links to various recipies. Enjoy!

https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/recipe/nasi-goreng-recipe

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2019/06/nasi-goreng-recipe.html

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/nasi-goreng-5482485