FIFINONO – a blog about cultural exploration

History of Rice

Based on archeological evidence, rice was believed to have first been domesticated in the region of the Yangtze River valley in China. Morphological studies of rice phytoliths from the Diaotonghuan archaeological site clearly show the transition from the collection of wild rice to the cultivation of domesticated rice.

Rice seems to be really simple and plain, but it’s so versatile and can be made to so many different delicious meals!

Join FIFINONO to explore the different rice dishes around the world. We’ll start with Sushi!

1. Japan: Sushi rice

Japanese rice is short-grained white rice, which contains more moisture, giving it sticky. The rice is steamed and flavored with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.

The literal meaning of sushi is “sour flavor”. Japanese people used to wrap in fermented rice for storage. They usually throw away the fermented rice and only eat the rice. Later on, they started adding vinegar to the rice, and because it tastes really good, people started to eat the fish and the rice together.

It goes so well with various fish and vegetables, we often try to get more creative with our Sushi rice!

Itadakimasu!

2. Italy: Risotto

Creamy and cheesy, that’s what reminds us of Risotto!

“Riso” means rice in Italy, and it generally uses Arborio rice – Italian short-grain rice named after the Italian town of Arborio. When cooked, the rounded grains are firm, and creamy, and chewy compared to other rice, due to their higher amylopectin starch content.

Other than the basic ingredients butter and Parmesan cheese, you can add all kinds of vegetables, fish, and meats: mushrooms, sausages, cuttlefish, pork, beef… you name it!

Benue Appetito!

3. Spain: Paella

To FIFINONO, Paella is very similar to Risotto (Some proud Spanish and Italians would very much disagree).

Paella is originated from the Valencian region. Residents there in turn regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.

It uses the Bomba rice, short-grain rice known for its ability to absorb water — one and a half times as much water as regular rice varieties without turning mushy. Paella de marisco (Seafood paella) is our favorite! We put a lot of generous variety of seafood: prawns, squid, mussels, cuttlefish… Almost brings a sea breeze from Barcelona!

4. East African: Pilaf (pilau)

FIFI had a lot of pilafs when she visited Kenya with NONO.  But Pilaf is widespread in so many other regions, including the Caribbean, South and Central Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern.

Pilaf uses long-grain white rice, which can remain light, fluffy, and separated during cooking. It is loaded with spices, including cinnamon, cumin, star anise, bay leaf, curry powder, cardamom,  garlic, ginger, onions, bell pepper, black pepper, and chili pepper, then mixed with mutton or beef. The flavors just explode in your mouth!

See? rice is so versatile! The exploration of world dumplings is not over! Maybe most of the countries have their own unique rice dish. But FIFI and NONO are full now.

It’s fascinating to find these similarities in different cultural cuisines! What kind of rice dish do you have in your culture? Leave a comment!