As We Eat

EP 51 From Temple to Table: How Rice Built Communities Around the World

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Episode notes

Of the three cereal grains consumed around the world, rice is a versatile foodstuff with an interesting history. As a food staple, it nourishes more than half of the 7.75 billion people on our planet, but it means so much more to us than merely grains in a bowl - this is the stuff upon which empires are built. For this episode, As We Eat follows the story of rice from temple to terroir to table.

Confucian proverbs run the gamut from profane to profound, and about rice it is believed that he said: “With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bent arm for a pillow; I have still joy in the midst of all these things.”

Luckily for modern eaters, we can still experience joy in the midst of our eating without having to resort to coarse rice. In fact, we have four kinds of rice to enjoy from all over the world - indica, japonica, aromatic, and glutinous rice all have found roles in our kitchens, our diets, and even our spiritual practices.