Rice feeds almost half of the human population and it dominates a part of our diet and provide us with major amount of energy and nutrients. Hence, it can be argued that rice is one of the most important, if not the most important food in the world, much less China. As such, I have chosen to present on rice for this week’s topic, Agriculture and staple foods. Rice is part of 五谷 Wugu, The Five Grains (1) → referring to the 5 farmed crops that were important in ancient China even although some sources argued that rice replaced an ingredient later in the day. During these ancient times, rice was also seen to be the equivalent of money whereby rice was used to pay taxes (2).
From this image taken from “The agricultural systems of the world”, written by D.B Grigg, we can see that rice produces the highest amount of yield per hectare of land (3), making it more worthwhile to farm rice compared to the other important staples and crops such as wheat and maize to name a few. As such, the ability for rice to provide consumers with so much necessity and farmers an edge to growing rice instead of other crops, rice began widespread and became an integral part of our daily lives and meals.
Now, I will talk about some Myths and Symbolisms of rice. One variant of myths includes how the Goddess Guan Yin pitied humans as she saw that they were starving. Hence, she squeezed her breasts and filled the plantations with rice. She goes on to squeeze more and blood came out → hence we have white and brown rice. (4)
On top of that, rice symbolises a link between heaven and earth, hence a link between god and humans , while representing an emperor’s capability if he can feed and provide for his people.
THE ORIGINS OF RICE
Rice originated from the genus Oryza → 2 types: O sativa and O glaberrima which are situated in Asia and Africa respectively. Among the O Sativa group, there are huge varieties, ranging from dwarf to tall plants which grows up to 120 cm and 1000 cm respectively. Furthermore, there are the Japonica and Indica grains. The Japonica grains are short and plump while the Indica ones are longer and slender. Japonica grains also required more water to cook because of the bonding that exist within the grains. (5) Most scholars argue that rice is a crop that is native to South China, discovered along the Yangtze River, and was introduced to North China. The North was too cold for the growing of rice hence millet was grown in the North while the South grew rice. The earliest recorded presence in North China was in the Lower Yellow River. Rice started cultivating in China by the seventh millennium BC, but was not entirely domesticated until 4000 Bc in the South. The earliest evidence for rice paddy fields in China was around 4000 BC, while they were well established in 2500 BC (6).
The species of rice that we are eating in class today is the Thai Hom Mali Rice, originating from Thailand. Also known as KDML 105 (Khao Dawk Mali 105), it is known for its fragrance and cooking quality. Since it is susceptible to pests and diseases, a new type of KDML 105 was genetically developed (HM84) to maintain the cooking quality and fragrance while being more resilient to diseases and pests (7). After the Green Revolution (1950-1960s), there were increased efforts to develop better rice which were evident in the hybridisation by the International Rice Research Institute in China. (8) Hybridisation indicated how it might not be as authentic rice as it used to be in ancient China due to hybridisation and genetically developed rice. But arguably to ensure quality control and fragrance of it (remember how we talk about authenticity in the 1st class?) Some similarity of the preparations between the rice that we are eating today and those of the Ancient China includes the washing of grains before cooking and boiling or steaming of the rice. Differences include the utensils used where Ancient China used a steamer made of clay, ceramic and bronze pots while we use an electric steamer and rice cooker today, arguably as a result of modernization. (9)
1.earthstOriez. (2019). Myths, History and Folklore of RICE in China- in Buddhism and Taoism. [online] Available at: https://www.earthstoriez.com/myths-history-folklore-rice-china/
2. earthstOriez. (2019). Myths, History and Folklore of RICE in China- in Buddhism and Taoism. [online] Available at: https://www.earthstoriez.com/myths-history-folklore-rice-china/
3. Grigg, D.B, The agricultural systems of the world. London: Cambridge University Press, 1974.
https://books.google.com.sg/books?hl=en&lr=&id=16-ejysyRCgC&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&ots=cChxl1s860&sig=wjY8D8sJouOYemD0ZOma2Q0-LOM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=rice&f=false
4. earthstOriez. (2019). Myths, History and Folklore of RICE in China- in Buddhism and Taoism. [online] Available at: https://www.earthstoriez.com/myths-history-folklore-rice-china/
5. Kim, Sook He. “Cultural perspectives and current consumption changes of cooked rice in Korean diet.” Nutrition research and practice vol. 1,1 (2007): 8-13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882582/
6. Lee, Gyoung Ah, Crawford, Gary W, Liu, Li, & Chen, Xingcan. “Plants and people from the Early Neolithic to Shang periods in North China.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104(3), (2007): 1087–1092, doi:10.1073/pnas.0609763104 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1764861/
7. Vanavichit A, Kamolsukyeunyong W, Siangliw M, Siangliw JL, Traprab S, Ruengphayak S, Chaichoompu E, Saensuk C, Phuvanartnarubal E, Toojinda T, Tragoonrung S. “Thai Hom Mali Rice: Origin and Breeding for Subsistence Rainfed Lowland Rice System.” Rice (New York, April 2018) https://www.jstor.org.remotexs.ntu.edu.sg/stable/pdf/j.ctvh1dx4s.10.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_SYC-4341%252Fcontrol&refreqid=excelsior%3A85b2be96f33a42f49e53754065a5d9f
8. SPENGLER, ROBERT N. “Rice and Other Ancient Grains.” In Fruit from the Sands: The Silk Road Origins of the Foods We Eat. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2019), 92 https://www.jstor.org.remotexs.ntu.edu.sg/stable/pdf/j.ctvh1dx4s.10.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_SYC-4341%252Fcontrol&refreqid=excelsior%3A85b2be96f33a42f49e53754065a5d9f9
9.Chang Te-Tzu. “Rice.” The Cambridge World History of Food. Eds. Kiple, Kenneth F. and Kriemhild C. Ornelas. Vol. I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. II.A.132-49. https://remotexs.ntu.edu.sg/user/login?dest=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521402149.017