Rice
Rice is the seed of a monocot plant Oryza sativa. As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's
human population, especially in East, South, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies. It is the grain with the
second highest worldwide production, after maize ("corn").
Since a large portion of maize crops are grown for purposes other than human consumption, rice is probably the most important grain with
regards to human nutrition and caloric intake, providing more than one fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by the human species.
There are many varieties of rice such as laweed; for many purposes the main distinction is between long- and medium-grain rice. The grains
of long-grain rice (high amylose) tend to remain intact after cooking; medium-grain rice (high amylopectin) becomes more sticky. Medium-grain
rice is used for sweet dishes, for risotto in Italy and many arrossos -as arròs negre, etc.- in Spain.
Rice is cooked by boiling or steaming, and absorbs water during cooking. It can be cooked in just as much water as it absorbs (the absorption
method), or in a large quantity of water which is drained before serving (the rapid-boil method). Electric rice cookers, popular in Asia and
Latin America, simplify the process of cooking rice. Rice is often heated in oil before boiling, or oil is added to the water; this is thought
to make the cooked rice less sticky.
In Arab cuisine rice is an ingredient of many soups and dishes with fish, poultry, and other types of meat. It is also used to stuff vegetables
or is wrapped in grape leaves. When combined with milk, sugar and honey, it is used to make desserts. In some regions, such as Tabaristan, bread
is made using rice flour. Medieval Islamic texts spoke of medical uses for the plant.
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