Rice: a cereal as old as the world

The appointment with cereals has arrived and today it is the turn of Rice history and properties of the most beloved cereal. It is said that the history of rice is as long as the world, maybe it is true. 

The rice in antiquity

To trace the origins of rice we must move to the Far East, almost 5,000 years B.C. in the Yang Tze valley. Other sources instead place it even further back in time, almost 10,000 years. C.  when traces of "paddy", a semi-finished rice were found.

Many centuries will pass to see him land in Mesopotamia in the fourth century. BC; to make him arrive in Europe instead is Alexander the Great. We can then say that rice literally conquers all peoples and ethnicities: the king of Persia in the sixth century. a. C finds it and falls in love with it in the Pakistani territories; the literature of Greeks and Romans then is has numerous references to this cereal. The Indians who bring him to Palestine Syria and the West Bank and from there the Arabs take him to Africa and then to Spain. It is only then in the time of Napoleon that one begins to cultivate stably.

Rice is the agricultural product which, with the same cultivated area, has proved capable of feeding the greatest number of people, probably because it is the only one suitable for marshy soils.

Types and properties of rice

There are many types of rice: rice carnaroli, vialone nano, basmati, venus, red... However, the many beneficial properties present in this magic bean mainly concern brown rice, so today Faribon will tell about the properties of this rice.

Brown rice is a rice that has not undergone the entire process of processing, but only a part, called defrosting. In fact, after threshing the rice is raw, a sort of "dressed grain" suitable for germination but not for cooking, as it is covered with a hard and woody cover. With the defrosting the rice becomes edible but still retains all its properties. 

Brown rice is highly digestible and thanks to the fiber content is satiating. Rich in selenium, potassium, manganese, antioxidants and B vitamins, it is ideal for controlling cholesterol. The chaff of this cereal in fact contains a compound that has beneficial effects on the levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides. Moreover, with its melatonin it is very useful also in case of insomnia. A real panacea.

Finally, it does not contain gluten and can be taken by those who are intolerant or suffering from celiac disease.

Uses of rice

Ideal for risottos, cold salads, Sicilian arancini, desserts, such as Argentinian pastel de arroz and drinks, such as sake. But let’s not forget that rice flour is also excellent as a base for light cakes and gluten free. How to get it? Grind it with Faribon, the electric cereal grinder that keeps intact the nutritional properties of the grain of rice and allows us to always have a fresh flour when needed. Discover also the other cereals !