The history of Rice

 Hey everyone! Today I bring you my first Food For Thought Action Project! In the class thus far, we've been discussing food, where it comes from and the history of it. We also delved into the history of our families and the food they make. We made this video to trace the origins of a ingredients our families use for the food we eat. We also made a family tree, which will be below! Enjoy!

Script: 

Hi, my name is Rice. You probably know who I am, seeing as I am basically a world famous superstar. Though I guess I should tell you where I come from, so you can see how humble of beginnings I had. 

First though, we should start with the issue of my birthplace. My place of birth is a debate among many scholars for a while, many stated I came from places like India while just as many say I come from China. Though, in more recent times, it seems like most, if not everyone, has agreed I came from China. I won’t confirm if this is true or not, because what’s the point to the mystery then? 

I was born around China, near the Yangtze River. I started to be domesticated around 10,000 to 8,000 BP (before present) in China. Around 3000-2500 BC is when they found I was grown in India. They also found me in Africa! I was a superstar before I knew it. As for the rest of the world, well, it was due to things like trading and migration that my influence spread. Soon, I was in places like Latin America, the US and more. Though, as much as it was due to trading, my spread was also due to colonizers, and them moving me all over the world. In America especially, I felt like the people who were using me were very unjust. Even talking about now makes me feel a bit mad. But that time has come and gone.

 I was now available all around the world, not just in places like Asia. From Oceania to the Middle East, I was now truly a worldwide I was modified to be able to withstand disasters like floods and droughts, made to be more tolerant to things like salt and even be more environmentally friendly! Now you can find me in any supermarket, store, anywhere you can buy a bunch of food really. People really love me! There’s one family, though, that uses me a lot. They’re a Nigerian family that makes me a lot. They usually use white rice and make it into 3 main types of rice. One is just plain white rice, which they use in a sort of stew that usually is made with meat. They also turn me into jollof rice, which is a lot more spicy than plain white rice. It’s also apparently really good. Finally, they turn me into fried rice, with things like vegetables and shrimp mixed in to make it even tastier. They have all these ways to make me into delicious food!

Well, hopefully this has brought some spotlight onto me. Remember that your favorite foods always start out from somewhere! 

Sources:

Gross, Briana L., and Zhijun Zhao. “Archaeological and Genetic Insights into the Origins of Domesticated Rice.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 29 Apr. 2014, www.pnas.org/content/111/17/6190.

Callaway, Ewen. “Domestication: The Birth of Rice.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 29 Oct. 2014, www.nature.com/articles/514S58a.