National Rice Month

September is National Rice Month in the United States.

Rice, a cereal grain, is one the world's biggest staple foods. It is the most widely consumed for a large percentage of the population and, in terms of calorific intake, is the largest grain. Whilst Asian countries may consume the most rice, the rest of the world still consumes a significant amount of it.

Rice was first domesticated in the region of the Pearl River Valley of modern day China. The exact date of its domestication isn't known, only that it was somewhere between eight and thirteen thousand years ago.

There are many different varieties if rice, which are divided into long, medium and short grain. When cooked, rice can be sticky, but this does not have to be the case if it is not desired. After the rice is cooked, it can be eaten both hot and cold and in both sweet and savoury dishes - rice pudding is a popular dessert dish.

Rice can simply be served by itself, but it can, and frequently is, also be combined with other ingredients.

National Rice Pudding Day

In the United States, August 9th is National Rice Pudding Day.

Rice pudding may be most familiar as a dessert, but it can also be made into a savoury dish; it's all down to what additional ingredients are used to make it.

There is a huge amount of variation in the recipes for rice pudding, from country to country and region to region within the countries. The one thing they all have in common, is, pretty obviously, rice, which is a seed and classed as a cereal grain. Short grain white rice is the most common variety of rice used, but it is not the only one. Long grain and other types such as basmati, brown and black rice are all used in some variants.

Even how it is cooked can vary. Some recipes boil it, whilst others bake it. The most basic dessert puddings will also include such things as milks, spices, flavourings, sweeteners and eggs, but again, these can all vary in type. The most popular North American recipe for rice pudding is very simple, being made from long grain white rice, milk and sugar, and may have spices and raisins added too. Maple syrup is sometimes used as an alternative for the sweetener. There are many other variations, with many descended from European dishes.