All Topics  
Black rice

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Black rice
 
 
  Topics Black rice Topic Home

Black rice is one of several black-colored heirloom plant
Heirloom plant

An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, or heirloom vegetable is a cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern industrial agriculture....
s producing rice
Rice

Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
 variants such as Indonesian Black Rice, forbidden rice, or wild rice
Wild rice

Wild rice is any of the four species of plants that make up the genus Zizania , a group of Poaceae that grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water....
. High in nutritional value, forbidden rice is rich in iron. Unlike other black rice from Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, it is not glutinous
Glutinous rice

Glutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous in the sense of being glue-like or sticky and not in the sense of containing gluten; on the other hand, it is called sticky but should not be confused with the other varieties of Asian rice that become sticky to one deg...
 or rough. This grain is high in fiber
Dietary fiber

Dietary fiber, sometimes called "roughage", is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation....
 and has a deep, nutty taste. Black forbidden rice is a deep black color and turns deep purple when cooked. Its dark purple color is primarily due to its high anthocyanin
Anthocyanin

Anthocyanins are solubility vacuole pigments that may appear red, purple, or blue according to pH. They belong to a parent class of molecules called flavonoids synthesized via the phenylpropanoid pathway....
 content .






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Black rice'
Start a new discussion about 'Black rice'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Black rice is one of several black-colored heirloom plant
Heirloom plant

An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, or heirloom vegetable is a cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern industrial agriculture....
s producing rice
Rice

Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
 variants such as Indonesian Black Rice, forbidden rice, or wild rice
Wild rice

Wild rice is any of the four species of plants that make up the genus Zizania , a group of Poaceae that grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water....
. High in nutritional value, forbidden rice is rich in iron. Unlike other black rice from Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, it is not glutinous
Glutinous rice

Glutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous in the sense of being glue-like or sticky and not in the sense of containing gluten; on the other hand, it is called sticky but should not be confused with the other varieties of Asian rice that become sticky to one deg...
 or rough. This grain is high in fiber
Dietary fiber

Dietary fiber, sometimes called "roughage", is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation....
 and has a deep, nutty taste. Black forbidden rice is a deep black color and turns deep purple when cooked. Its dark purple color is primarily due to its high anthocyanin
Anthocyanin

Anthocyanins are solubility vacuole pigments that may appear red, purple, or blue according to pH. They belong to a parent class of molecules called flavonoids synthesized via the phenylpropanoid pathway....
 content . It has a relatively high mineral content (including iron) and, like most rice, supplies several important amino acid
Amino acid

In chemistry, an amino acid is a molecule containing both amine and carboxyl functional groups. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H2NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent....
s.

In China, noodles made from black rice have recently begun being produced. At least one United States bread company has also begun producing "Chinese Black Rice" bread. It shares the deep tyrian
Tyrian purple

Tyrian purple , also known as royal purple, imperial purple or imperial dye, is a purple-red dye which was first produced by the ancient Phoenicians in the city of Tyre, Lebanon....
 color of cooked black rice.

Forbidden rice


Forbidden rice is a short-grain
GRAIN

GRAIN is an international non-governmental organization based in Barcelona, Spain, which works toward sustainable agriculture. It was formed upon the realization that the genetic diversity of the world's food crops are being drastically eliminated....
ed, heirloom
Heirloom plant

An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, or heirloom vegetable is a cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern industrial agriculture....
 rice
Rice

Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
. It is purple when raw and dark purple when cooked.

One theory as to the name is that it was reserved for emperors
Emperor of China

The Emperor of China refers to any monarch of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912....
 in ancient China
History of China

China civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River valley in the Neolithic era. The written history of China begins with the Shang Dynasty ....
 because of its nutritiousness and rarity. Another theory is that when the Greeks
Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
 took over parts of the Middle East
Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
, they had it banned due to the belief that it was being used by their enemies to aid them in battle. However, the most likely theory is that the name is simply a marketing ploy.

Forbidden rice has recently appeared on the shelves of health food store
Health food store

A health food store is a type of grocery store that primarily sells health food, organic foods, local produce, and often nutritional supplements....
s in the western United States
Western United States

The Western United States—commonly referred to as the American West or simply The West—traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost U.S....
 along with other heirloom rices such as Bhutanese red rice
Bhutanese red rice

Bhutanese red rice is a medium-grain rice grown in the Kingdom of Bhutan in the eastern Himalayas. It is the staple rice of the Bhutanese people....
 and wild rice
Wild rice

Wild rice is any of the four species of plants that make up the genus Zizania , a group of Poaceae that grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water....
, particularly in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
; desire for non-genetically modified food
Genetically modified food

Genetically modified foods are foods made from crops that have been given specific traits through genetic engineering. Unlike crops developed through conventional genetic modification that have been accepted and have been consumed for years, GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s....
s has also contributed to demand for this rice. It is popular with vegetarians
Vegetarianism

File:Foods.jpgVegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes meat , fish and poultry.There are several variants of the diet, some of which also exclude egg and/or some products produced from animal labour such as dairy products and honey....
 and vegans
Veganism

Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind....
 because it has a favorable nutrition profile being high in fiber
Dietary fiber

Dietary fiber, sometimes called "roughage", is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation....
 and mineral
Dietary mineral

Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen present in common organic chemistry....
 content (such as iron
Human iron metabolism

Human iron metabolism is the set of chemical reactions maintaining human homeostasis of iron. Iron is an essential element for most life on Earth, including human beings....
). Like most rice, it supplies several important amino acid
Amino acid

In chemistry, an amino acid is a molecule containing both amine and carboxyl functional groups. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H2NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent....
s; additionally, the deep color of black forbidden rice suggests the presence of phytonutrients
Phytochemical

Phytochemicals are plant-derived chemical compounds under scientific research for their potential health-promoting properties. Phytochemicals are non-essential nutrients, but still they have been scientifically confirmed as being important to human health....
.

When cooked, forbidden rice has the smell of freshly-popped popcorn
Popcorn

Popcorn or popping corn is a type of maize, which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn popping was originally discovered by Native Americans in the United States, but became popular as a snack food during the United States Great Depression....
 and turns the water that it is boiling in a brilliant purple color. It has a deep, nutty taste.

External links