Contemporaries hard to imagine that once the name "rice" in the Russian language did not exist. However, until the end of the XIX century, this cereal in Russia was called Saracen millet. The man began to grow rice many years ago, this culture is not just a valuable high-calorie food, which is prepared from flour, cereals, starch and drinks. Rice powder is used in the cosmetic industry, straw makes the thinnest tissue paper, cordage, ropes, weave mats, bags Bags - a necessary thing in every woman's wardrobe Shoes.

Figure: history and geography

The generic Latin name of the valuable crop of rice - Oryza comes from the word «vrihi» in Sanskrit. Many World Languages ​​named after rice rice, rice, Riso. But in Russia, it called the rice until the end of the XIX century Saracen Saracen corn or wheat, millet. Saracens since the time of the Crusades was called all Muslims. Cereal crops cultivated since ancient times in China and the Middle East. In the Caucasus, cereal called chaltyk, Central Asia, rice is known as Shala.

Rice is an important cereal crops cultivated by man since ancient times. Excavation "gone" nine thousand years ago, when China was already known figure. From there, he went to India and spread across the world. Rice - a tropical plant that is cultivated in subtropical and warm temperate areas. In the era of slavery for the cultivation of rice was used artificial irrigation, and this culture began to occupy one of the first places on production and agricultural crops.

In VII-VIII century Arab invaders brought rice to the countries of the Mediterranean, where it was in the Balkans, after World War II - in Hungary and in the south of France. In the United States began to sow rice in 1647, in Virginia, Australia - much later, in 1925. Today, the world's rice plantations are divided into three types of rice cultivation by type: checks, or heavy field, estuaries and upland field.

Nutritional value and use of rice

Figure high calorie culture: one hundred grams of cooked rice contains three hundred and sixty calories. According to the content of starch with it can not be compared, no cereals. Rice cereal quickly prepared and well kept for a long time without spoiling. Rice germ oil is produced from corn grits and starch are obtained. The traditional alcoholic drink made of rice: Chinese rice wine and Japanese vodka sake. From rice straw prepared rice paper, wicker products and cardboard. Rice bran are fed to livestock, and waste processing rice cooked beer, alcohol and starch.

There are more than twenty types of rice and thousands of varieties from which prepare a variety of dishes. Suffice it to say that only in Uzbekistan described more than fifty recipes corporate pilaf. Variety is divided into long-grain rice and round, wild, black, red and others. Rice, who is treated, not polished and not stripped from the shell, called the brown or unpolished. This is one of the most useful types of rice as retains all the vitamins and nutrients in the grain of which a great many.

The most common varieties of rice in the world - round-and long grain white rice. These grains are processed and polished, some vitamins Vitamins for everyone   and trace elements are lost, but their nutritional value is quite high. Jasmine rice comes from Thailand, it is long grain white rice with high gluten and special aroma. Basmati rice - white rice from Pakistan nutty smell. Red rice growing in southern France, and once considered weeds. Now it is served in expensive restaurants as a delicacy. He also has a distinct nutty flavor and an unusual color.

It is interesting

In Islamic countries there is a measure of weight equal to one grain of rice - aruzza, which is equal to twenty-five mustard seed and has a value of one part of the two hundred and forty mithqáls or Dinar.

Rice - a plant bog and grows under water, but there is a dry valley, mountain rice, which grows well on nezataplivaemyh fields. Its value for a particular taste and nutritional value, but its global production in the world is far lower than the filler. Today, the world is collected about six million tons of rice a year. Overall, world rice consumption per capita is the same as the wheat, and is thirty or forty kilograms per person per year. In the countries of the East is the consumption is much higher.

Jeanne Pyatirikova

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