“Rice is Life” and the proverb is truly apt. It is the staple diet of most of the population of the world, especially in the Indian subcontinent. And, in many regions rice is actually worshipped, and people consider it to be a blessing. It has numerous health benefits which provides an instant source of energy to the body, and it is not only good for the skin but also in maintaining blood sugar levels.

• Rice acts as a source of fuel for the body, since it is a rich source of carbohydrates. It is actually made up of long chains of complex carbohydrates, that takes time to break down, and the starch present in rice is beneficial for diabetics.
• Rice is rich in minerals such as calcium and iron, and also rich in vitamins, such as niacin, Vitamin D, thiamine and riboflavin. It also helps in digestion, and contains very low amount of saturated fats and cholesterol making it heart-healthy.
• Rice provides immunity power and controls various diseases as it contains antioxidant properties that protect the heart by minimising the occurrence of heart diseases and stroke. And it is also known to prevent Alzheimer’s disease to an extent.

• Rice is known to protect the body against cancer, and the rice fibre acts as a shield against cancerous cells.
• Rice is known to prevent constipation, as it contains very low amount of sodium.
• People suffering from celiac disease and those who are allergic to proteins such as those found in wheat, barley, rye and oats can actually switch their diet to rice, as it is gluten-free.
• And last but not the least, rice is considered beneficial to those people who intend to lose weight, due to its low-fat content.
  It is only a rumour that consuming rice makes us obese. On the contrary, it helps in controlling our weight and is highly nutritious boosting one’s health.

Rice is the staple diet in many parts of the world. In the wake of digital advancement and the recent trend to ‘hit the gym’ has resulted in a lot of myths and rumors. Well, it’s high time we start debunking them.

• Rice is rich in Gluten: Foods rich in gluten are bad for diabetic patients and the ones who are trying to lose weight. Rice is actually gluten-free and it does not result in allergies associated with other grains.
• Rice leads to fattening: Rice contains carbohydrates and is a good source of energy and is actually low in fats and cholesterol free.
• Rice contains no protein: As a matter of fact, a cup of white rice contains 3-4 gms of protein and is the second-most abundant nutrient found in rice. In fact, the quality of protein present in rice is very high compared to other grains.
• High amount of salt in rice: Rice contains a low amount of sodium.

• It is not easily digestible: Rice is very easy to digest and the enzymes secreted in the human digestive tract are especially good for digesting rice. If you are consuming white rice, the germ layers, bran and husk are all stripped off in the processing system which makes it easy to digest it.
• Consuming rice for dinner leads to obesity: Contrary to the popular belief, high carb foods like rice should be consumed at night as they are metabolized into glucose, the energy stocks. The glucose is converted into energy at night more easily. Glucose converts into fat during the day, hence rice and other grains should be avoided at lunch.

Thus, like all other carbohydrates, rice gets ultimately broken down into glucose inside the gastrointestinal tract. And for survival we need glucose, the ultimate source of energy for the human body.

The time when the earth was young and everything used to be primitive and simple and let’s say better than they are now, men and women were stronger. This is because the food was available in the purest form and there were no diseases. The fruits were larger, sweeter and rice, the staple diet of the Indian people was of larger grain.

A man could only manage to eat one grain, i.e. rice and led a simple lifestyle due to the fact that in those days the people never had to toil collecting the rice, for, when ripe, it fell from the stalks and rolled into the villages, even unto the granaries. Upon a year when the rice was larger and more plentiful than before, a widow said to her daughter “Our granaries are too small. We will pull them down and build larger.”

When the granaries were being made ready for use, the rice were already ripe and it came rolling in where the work was going on. And the widow, infuriated, struck a grain and cried, ‘”Could you not wait in the fields until we were ready? You should not bother us now when you are not wanted.”’

As a result, the rice broke into thousand pieces and then the reply came “From this time forth, we will wait in the fields until we are wanted,” and since then rice has been of small grain, and the people of the earth started gathering it into the granary from the fields.

Rice is undoubtedly the most important crop in the world, and particularly in Asia where food security is considered as having stable prices for rice in the major urban areas of the nation. India accounts for 20% of rice production worldwide and is the largest producer after China. The productivity in India increased from 80 million tonnes in 1980 to around 157 million tonnes (as of 2014).

The productivity has increased because an increase of 3 million hectares was noted by 2014. As per the report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, India’s rice production reached to a record high of 104.32 million tonnes in 2011-12 crop year (July-June).

On the business and trade front, India being a rice importer in the initial years of the 1980s, India transformed itself with production of 157 million tonnes and exports around 11 million tonnes. Since 2011, India is the largest exporter of rice in the world market. Rice has maintained a positive growth in yield, and if the overall agricultural GDP has to grow, the onus is on higher rice yields. And since the arsenic level in countries like USA is more than 0.3 mg/kg of arsenic, the advantage is with India to dominate the world market in terms of meeting the Codex standard.

The influence of rice on humankind has been significant. Rice has been grown in Asia for the past 7,000 years. Latest reports suggest that this may in fact be 10,000 years. It is cultivated on all continents except Antarctica. About half of the world’s population is dependent on rice as a staple food.

Typically a grass, there are two major varieties, scientifically known as Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima. Both came from a common ancestor that was distributed across Gondwanaland, the ancient super continent that would break up and become the modern continents of Africa and Asia. These plants are indigenous to southern Asia and south-eastern Africa.

Many communities associate rice with a goddess or mother figure. She is Dewi Sri or Bhatari Sri’ in Bali. In Thailand, rice is referred to as ‘Mother Rice’. In India, she is Annapoorna.

Different cultures have different stories about how rice originated. The Chinese people believe it to be a gift from the animals. Once upon a time, China was hit by severe flood. The people ran up to the hills to seek shelter. After the water receded, they found all the plants to be dead. They tried hunting but there were helpless as few animals remained. As the legend goes, one day, some people saw a dog running across a field. There were bundles of stalks with yellow seeds around its neck. The people cultivated these seeds and called the plants “rice”. They were not hungry anymore with rice to thrive on. This is why rice is considered to more precious than jewels in Chinese culture.

“Bangalir baro mashe tero parbon” Bengalis are food-lovers and with the change of seasons, the food proclivity also changes. Bengalis without sweets is unimaginable and Pitha Puli or Patishapta is a highly appreciable part of Bengali cuisine. And since, rice forms an essential staple diet of the Bengalis, the pitha puli is the perfect traditional winter Bengali pancake recipe or rice cakes, which is primarily stuffed with Kheer or Khowa. The main ingredient in these delicious eastern Indian region dish are rice flour.

Pithas are preferred usually during the winter time, and heartily enjoyed as a part of snacks and with tea. The rice dumplings form an essential part of the recipe, with which is mixed with salt and two teaspoon oil is added to a cup boiling water. The sweet pithas generally contain sugar, jaggery, date juice, or palm syrup and the filling is done with grated coconut, cashews or fruits.

Pitha fairs has been celebrated by generations of rice cultivating farmers of Bengal. Now many people gather to commemorate the occasion from both Bengal and outside the state. Even though Pithas have their variation across the north-eastern region, it is not only restricted to Bengal, Bihar, or Odhisa. With the advent of facilities they are now transported to different parts of the nation, so that people can enjoy the exotic North-eastern treat!!!

During the ‘vidai’ ceremony, the family stands behind their daughter (the bride) and the womenfolk hold out their dupattas (scarves) as the bride gently throws rice behind her. This symbolizes that even though the Lakshmi of the home is departing, she is ‘paying her debts’ to the family, and leaves her blessing of wealth and prosperity and eternal happiness with her family.

It is customary for the newlywed bride to tip over a kala (an urn) of rice with her foot upon her arrival to the new home. This is called the Graha Pravesh. This is considered to bring prosperity and a sway of divinity to the new home of the bride.

This biryani is actually a Mangalorean muslim style biryani which is also known as “meat biryani”, it is found in Karnataka and is light and less spicy in taste. The biryani rice is cooked with ghee and local spices along with chicken, mutton, fish and prawns and is left to sit overnight for the flavour to settle down in the entire dish.

This biryani is a Kerala speciality,also known by the name ‘Kozhikode’ biryani. The rice used for this biryani is a special type. It is thinner and of fragrant variety named ‘Khyma’. This biryani is generally cooked in ghee and a lot of spices with fried onions to add a sweet taste.

This biryani is famous in Tamil Nadu. It originated from Dindigul Thalapakatti region. The rice is cooked with curd and lemons which gives the dish a tangy taste.

One of the tastiest biryanis is this Malabar biryani which is cooked with soft chicken wings, steamed rice and mild spices and garnished with sautéed dry fruits.

This biryani is found in the coastal regions of Karnataka. This biryani is made by infusing the the rice and chicken with masalas. This biryani gives a mixed taste of red chillies, onions along with chicken chunks.

Rice, is the staple food for half of the world’s population. People from different cultures in the world have been consuming white rice for thousands of years. But nowadays the purification of rice is being manipulated. Rice is being polished to change their appearance, taste, and texture. Rice polisher machines buff the kernels of rice, using talc or some very fine dust.

In the 20thcentury, kitchen appliances for consumers were created that allowed individual to cook polished rice in their homes. But the manipulated rice polishing has an adverse effect on the health of consumers.

One must avoid consumption of this kind of rice to stay healthy as the consumption of rice that is polished by low-quality talc and other ingredients are causing illness among rice consumers.

Pragati Rice brings you the best quality rice that is processed keeping the consumer’s good health in mind. This rice is safe for consumption and brings you the best quality rice. The quality, texture, and taste of this rice really good as Pragati bring you par-boiled rice that helps you bring health back to your home.
Next time whenever you are out, grocery shopping do make sure to bring home Pragati Rice for better health and enjoy your rice dishes without any worry.