What is Wild Rice?
Wild rice, contrary to the name, is not actually a member of the rice family, although it is a grain producing grass. Wild rice is native to North America and can still be found growing wild in the ponds and lakes of Wisconsin, as well as in neighboring states. Like rice, wild rice grows in water, although wild rice tends to require much deeper water resources. The two grains also have taste similarities, both tasting much more nutty with the outer husk left on. The similarities between the two grains end here, however. Wild rice, unlike conventional rice, has not been domesticated for commercial cultivation. Wild rice must still be painstakingly harvested from boats in the open water, using beating sticks to knock the mature grains into holding containers. Wild rice, like most grains in their natural state, matures at different times to ensure the widest spread of seeds and the least probability of damage and seed loss. As a result, fully mature grains can shatter and be lost at the b
It is not a rice at all, but in fact a grain. Wild rice is native to North America, grows wild in the Great Lakes Region, is harvested for food, and is also grown as a field crop. It is often referred to as the “caviar of grains”. Harvesting wild rice is the process of gathering wild rice kernels from their stalks. This is a process that has been used by the Ojibway Indians for centuries. Other than a canoe, the only tools required for the harvest are those to propel and to knock the ripe kernels into it. Harvesters use a long pole, forked at the end, to push the boat. The pole is forked because it grips the soft, mucky bottom without harming the root bed. A pair of wooden sticks or “knockers” are used to thresh the stalks to dislodge the kernels. While gliding toward the rice, the poler must keep the boat in a steady pattern. To do this, he or she places the pole directly in back of the boat. While the poler maneuvers the boat, the partner collects the rice. The partner holds one knoc
The term wild rice is the common name given to this aquatic grass plant (Zizania) and the seed that it produces. It is not genetically related to rice (Oryza) at all. There are similarities between the two in that both species grow in water and produce a grain. Wild Rice is America’s oldest grain and it is the only cereal grain indigenous to North America. In its finished form wild rice is a long, slender, coffee-colored kernel that butterflies open during cooking to reveal a cream-colored interior. The result is two-tone rice that can go anywhere. The strong woodsy flavor and chewy texture makes it frequently used in combination with other rices. Wild Rice seed contains an antioxidant, which is a chemical that is believed to reduce the chances of cancer.
Wild rice really isn’t a rice at all. It’s the seed of Zizania palustris, a tall, blooming water grass that prospers in shallow lakes, marshes and streams. It is the only cereal grain native to the North American continent. Wild rice is grown in the clean, clear waters of the Great Lakes region and in the fruitful western valleys in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada’s and the Rocky Mountains.
