Trivia # 4 : Rice

• Half of the world’s population live on a staple diet of rice.
• The secret ingredient that gives ancient Chinese mortar its legendary strength is sticky rice. An analysis of samples from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) city wall in Nanjing showed why the rice is such an effective additive to lime mortars. Amylopectin, the rice compound in the mortar, provides mechanical strength and stability, and inhibits the growth of calcium carbonate crystals, resulting in a more compact and resilient binding material. Chinese scientists re-created the mortar and determined that it is ideal for restoring ancient structures.
• September is National Rice Month.
• Rice is the first food a new bride in India offers to her husband and the first food offered to newborn babies.
• It is estimated that it takes 2,000 to 5,000 tons of water to produce a ton of rice.
• There are thousands of different varieties of rice (Oryza sativa). At the International Rice Research Institute Genetic Resources Center in the Philippines, there are 80,000 rice samples in cold storage.
• Rice is grown on every continent except Antarctica.
• One seed of rice yields more than 3,000 grains. It is the highest yielding cereal grain and can grow in many kinds of environments and soils, which is why it is grown everywhere.
• Rice has been cultivated for over 5,000 years.