Why is rice so popular? - Carolyn Beans

Dig into how rice became a staple in the world’s diet, and the surprising consequences of its traditional production practices.

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Rice contributes over 20% of the calories consumed by humans each year. Korean bibimbap, Nigerian jollof, Indian biryani, Spanish paella, and countless other culinary masterpieces all begin with rice. So how did this humble grain end up in so many cuisines? Carolyn Beans investigates the global expansion of this beloved crop and the unintended consequences of its popularity.

Lesson by Carolyn Beans, directed by Na Na Na Studio.

This video made possible in collaboration with Speed & Scale

A special thanks to Michele Reba who provided information and insights for the development of this video.

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[TimeSpectators]

Rice truly is a global staple, feeding more than half of the world's population! Its versatility, ease of cultivation, and the way it complements so many dishes make it easy to see why it's so popular. Plus, it's the perfect canvas for a myriad of flavors from different cultures

[autentik]

a story told by ...Carolyn "Beans". :)))

[Baylow]

Carolyn Beans does a video about Rice
As a Nigerian, I find that coincidence hilarious. We eat Rice and Beans together as a meal, and sometimes they can be played as opposites to each other

[KienTran-ltvs]

Rice is so important to us Vietnamese we also have different terms for it

▪︎ Rice crops - Lúa
▪︎ Young Rice crops - Mạ
▪︎ Unmilled Rice - Thóc
▪︎ Milled, uncooked Rice - Gạo
▪︎ Dried Rice crops after havesting - Rơm
▪︎ Cooked Rice - Cơm
▪︎ Cooked sticky Rice - Xôi
▪︎ Uncooked sticky Rice - Nếp
▪︎ Steaming (the rice) - Đồ
▪︎ Harden/Burned part of the rice - Cháy
▪︎ (Rice being) burned - Khê
▪︎ (Rice being) too wet, yet uncooked - Trương
▪︎ Broken, uncooked rice - Tấm
▪︎ Rice bran - Cám
▪︎ Rice husk - Trấu
▪︎ Rice cooking failure in a spectacular way - Trên sống dưới khê, tứ bề nhão nhoét

[Sunflowersarepretty]

As a asian rice is literally our staple diet. Can't live without rice. ❤❤ I didn't actually know that growing rice also hurts the environment. You learn something new every day.

[aldhieu.a.teodocio]

Rice is so important for us Filipinos we even have different terms for it

▪︎ Rice crops - Palay
▪︎ Rice grains - Bigas
▪︎ Rice grain - Butil ng palay/bigas
▪︎ Steamed Rice - Kanin/Sinaing
▪︎ Fried Rice - Sinangag
▪︎ Burned part of the rice - Tutong
▪︎ Foamy excess water from the steamed rice - Am
▪︎ Cold Rice - Bahaw
▪︎ Rice that has absorbed so much water - Malata
▪︎ Rice that's too dry, not yet cooked - Manigat
▪︎ Sticky Rice - Kakanin
▪︎ Way of cooking rice - Pagsaing

[GaudiFanYAY]

An additional possible bonus of using the "drain and flood" method this video advocates, is that it could also act as an alternative pesticide control. Nothing too amazing, but letting the fields dry out can kill off plants that only thrive in flooded areas, and flooding the area afterwards can kill whatever plants that took root when it was dry. Plus other small pests, like bugs, could also be killed by the flood if they aren't suitable flooded areas.

[tsukuyomirai]

Rice is so important in Nepal that it has different names in every form.
Sita- a grain of cooked rice
Bhat-a cooked rice
Chamal-an uncooked rice
Dhan-a rice within a husk
Bala-a dry fully ripped paddy
Even so, it is also known as gold that grows and August 1 is a Paddy Day in Nepal.
A small myth/superstition to add: It is said that, if you step over rice water, your eyesight will be poor when you grow old. So my mom would never dispose ricewater in an open area.

[HumbleAshe]

Ah rice, so simple yet so iconic and important as a food staple. ESPECIALLY for Asian cultures and for people in my family and among many of my friends, rice makes up so much of the various foods we eat regularly.

[soumyadeep]

As an Indian Bengali, rice is so important food for us that we consume it in many different ways
*Chaal* - Uncooked rice
*Bhaat* - Cooked rice
*Dhan* - Rice with the husk attached
*Muri* - Puffed rice (Most staple Bengali light meal. You can mix n number of items with muri)
*Chira (poha)* - Flattened rice
*Khoi* - Popped rice
*Murki* - Popped rice mixed in hot n sweet jaggery
*Chal er gura* - Powdered new rice.
*Pitha* - A variety of winter dessert made using powdered rice, milk, jaggery of khejur, coconut, etc.
*Khichudi* - Rice and lentils slow cooked together
*Payesh (Rabdi)* - Rice slowly cooked in milk and jaggery or sugar plus dry fruits
*Panta* - Cooked rice left submerged in water overnight
*Bhuna Khichudi* - A dryer version of khichudi with added dry fruits
*Chal bhaja* - Fried uncooked rice
*Gola* - Overcooked sticky rice
*Maar* - The liquid starch of rice
*Pulao* - Flavoured and spiced rice with dry fruits and nuts
*Biryani* - Rice cooked with spices and meat
*Atop* - A variety of scented rice
*Gobindobhog* - A variety of scented sacred rice used for making prasad
*Tulaipanji* - A variety of mild scented rice eaten best with meat
*Basmati* - A variety of long grained scented rice
*Dheki Chata (ঢেঁকি ছাঁটা)* - Brown rice, usually eaten by people who are sick
*Tush/Khosa/Bhusi* - The husk of rice, used to feed cattle
*Khor* - Straw or hay, used to feed cattle, & used in construction as insulator
*Dhaner Seesh* - The pinnacle or sheaf of the paddy has always been traditionally used in numerous ways in our sanatani culture
*Hariya/Pochani* - An alcoholic drink made from fermenting rice

And the list goes on

[derkaiser]

I am actually surprised they didn't mention how rice farmers get infected by parasitic worms at an alarming rate. They then contract some pretty terrible diseases as a result. Parasitic worms kill thousands of people a year in pretty horrible ways. I wouldn't be overly concerned with the methane distribution by flooding rice fields but instead making it a breading ground for worms. We should focus on draining these fields for the health of poor farmers because worms are very easy to get rid of by simple medications but most farmers cannot afford it.

[boringbilal]

It's amazing how this staple has been so integral to many culture cuisines for millenia!

[Odia_bhaina]

We plant rice during the monsoon rains. So mostly doesn't need irrigation and i think it actually helps prevent flooding by storing so much water in the fields.

[waterpark]

Rice are one of god's greatest gift to us. From one rice you can grow it to thousands of rice. Rice can be stored for a long time without preservative. You can cook and eat it easily without many process like wheat. It can blend it to any other dish. If you turn it to powder, it can be use to make many delicious cake and so on.. rice is indeed bringing life.

[sagirahmed]

As an Assamese, rice is what I eat for my breakfast, morning snacks, lunch, evening snacks and dinner. Sweets made during festivals and special occasions, called pitha are also made of rice and rice flour, called pitha-guri (pitha powder).

Rice is so centric here that the expression "bhat khala?" (Have you eaten rice?) is often used in the place of "what's up" or "how are you?".

In Assam there are museums displaying hundreds of native varieties of rice from Assam.
Some of the popular varieties include:
*Joha* - The popular fragrance rice that is also used to make Assamese payox/pah (rice pudding), pulao etc. At my home, we make biryani with joha more often than with basmati lol (basmati is a newly introduced imported variety here).
*Bora* - The beloved sticky rice that's used to make all the Assamese sweet dishes. It's the rice that's pounded to make pithaguri. We can make quick payox also with it.
*Boka/Kumol saul* - The magic rice
Others include ahu, aijong, bao, boro, lahi and many more.

There are many terms we use to refer to different forms of rice, such as:

Dhan - paddy, unhusked rice
Kothia - rice sapling
Saul - husked but uncooked rice
Bhat - cooked rice
Sira - flattered rice
Muri - puffed rice
Akhoi - popped rice
Xandoh - coarse powder of parched rice
Hurum - another type of puffed rice
Pithaguri - rice flour, used to make Pithas (Assamese cakes), some larus (ladoos). It's also often added in curries to make it thicker.
Payox/Pah - rice pudding
Põita bhat - rice soaked in water overnight, then served with various dishes. Summer food
Pulao - rice cooked with meat or vegetables
Xaz - rice beer
Mar - liquid starch of rice
Khud saul - broken pieces of rice
Tuh - rice husk powder used to feed animals

[FajriSuryaPutra]

Almost all Asians can't live without rice. You can eat anything from burgers to donuts, but eventually it feels strange not to eat rice for a day. So we still eat a bowl of rice at least twice a day even though it's just a small amount.

[erinboateng]

I'm from Ghana and I love rice. We use it to make many different dishes but my favorite is Jollof Rice.

[wrkris]

As a South Korean, that bibimbap thumbnail attracted me a little too much... that I actually didn't know the title until I started writing this comment😅

[amanpathak]

Not just that, the way rice is cooked also varies a lot. In India (I'm Indian), the most go to way to cook rice is using a pressure cooker. In other Asian countries, rice cooker is used heavily. In the west, rice is cooked in an open vessel. Rice is love.

Great video, very informative.

[gorilladisco]

The video didn't explain "why is rice so popular?".