There are more than 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice (the grass species Oryza sativa) said to exist. But the exact figure is uncertain...

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The plant has many different variations, but is generally short lived with an average life span of 3-7 months. Find out more about the rice plant.

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Rice is cultivated in many different ways around the world; the methods used depend on the resources available and the nature of the landscape and soils.  They can differ greatly even in the same locality.

After rice has been harvested, it is threshed to loosen the hulls, traditionally by flailing, treading or working in a mortar and winnowed free of chaff by tossing it in the air above a sheet or mat.

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The plant has many different variations, but is generally short lived with an average life span of 3-7 months. Find out more about the rice plant.

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Rice is grown in every continent of the world except Antarctica and each country has developed its own recipes using it e.g. Paellas in Spain, Risotto in Italy, the fiery Cajun and Creole dishes from the US and the precisely prepared delicacies of Japan.

Rice is a complex carbohydrate - providing high energy value and slow energy release. It also contains protein used for growth and repair of the body. Health experts urge us to cut down on fat and fill up with fruit and vegetables and starchy fibre-containing foods like rice.

To pin-point exactly when mankind first realised that the rice plant was a food source and began its cultivation is impossible. Many historians believe that rice was grown as far back as 5000 years BC.

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The overwhelming majority of rice is consumed as grain rather than in processed foods. Over 1000 tests have been undertaken by millers during the last eighteen months, on white and brown rice. 

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