Rice: It doesn't seem very exciting. They don't even throw it at brides anymore. The urban legend that the feathered friends ingested the rice, drank water and swelled up to the point of oblivion put an end to that tradition. Now the wedding party showers the bride with bubbles which are probably less hazardous to the bride if not to the birds.
Rice is symbolic of harmony, fertility and prosperity and the tradition of presenting it to the bride has accompanied the spread of the prolific grain from Asia and Africa by explorers and conquerors. Alexander the great brought it to Greece and the Moors introduced it to Spain and subsequently it spread throughout Europe and the New World.
Encarta, the Microsoft encyclopedia, says that commercial production of rice in America began in South Carolina in 1685, but you can be sure Spanish settler were growing this indispensable staple of their diet before that. (American historians are notorious for ignoring our Spanish Floridian heritage and history.)
In Carolina the Africans instructed plantation owners in the construction of bunds, which were low walls of earth, and taught them to flood the fields with water. It was from this knowledge, that the slaves brought from Africa, more than from their labors, that the plantation owners were able to develop their successful rice culture, an indebtedness never properly acknowledged.
If you are of the older generation your first memory of rice will probably be rice pudding. In the days of the old black stove mothers mixed raw rice with eggs and sugar and quantities of milk and spices in a heavy casserole in the morning. Hours of baking made the kitchen fragrant with vanilla and nutmeg and the creamy concoction that resulted was the delight of the evening meal.
With the explosion of Mexican and Asian restaurants, and the interest in ethnic foods, we are currently eating mountains of rice. South Carolina has had a revival of rice-growing and is now proud and famous for their Carolina Gold and their gourmet dishes and recipes.
There are hundreds of varieties of rice, but they fit into two general categories: long grain and short grain. Short grain rice is the sticky variety, while long grain is less sticky and more aromatic. This includes jasmine or Thai rice which has a delicate aroma, and Indian basmati, the most aromatic of all.
Brown rice is just white rice, with the nutritious bran layer that contains the oil protein, the B vitamins, iron, phosphorous and potassium, removed. If you're a health fan, you know we pay more for brown rice, a much less expensive process. (I think we have been conned, but at least we know what's good for us.) In China, brown rice is for the poor and the lower class. The elite does not eat brown rice. The elite can afford to have their rice stripped and polished, so it proclaims their status and affluence. They do know the value of brown rice, however. A doctor might prescribe a 10 day diet of nothing but brown rice for non-life-threatening complaints, because of its wonderful nutritious and curative powers. Experts tell us the best way to cook rice is to steam it. But you probably won't find a rice steamer in most American kitchens.
Rice is one of the world's most important foods. . If the rice bowls are empty famine stalks entire populations. People have been depending on it since 10,000years before Christ was born. We share the gift that has been shared, inadvertently or knowingly, since the beginning of time; celebrated in simple songs such as the Spanish children sing, "Arroz con Pollo", (Rice with Chicken) or the sophisticated ceremonies of India and Japan. It is served in the most humble abodes and the fanciest of restaurants.
So, if you don't like the main course, just eat the rice.