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Order: Poales;
Family: Poaceae;
Genus: Oryza;
Species and synonyms: Rice (Oryza sativa).

GBIF: Oryza sativa L.

The rice symbol in Unicode — 🌾

Rice (lat. Oryza sativa) is an annual herbaceous plant 0.5–1.5 m tall from the family Poaceae, order Poales. Its homeland is Southeast Asia. Cultivated in the tropics, subtropics, and warm regions of the temperate zone. In Russia — in the Kuban basin, the Lower Volga region, the North Caucasus, and the Primorsky Krai.

Domestication occurred about 9,000 years ago. According to one theory, there were two centers of domestication: Oryza sativa japonica (southern China) and Oryza sativa indica (eastern India or western Indochina). According to another, Oryza sativa japonica has a more ancient origin, and the modern subspecies are the result of artificial selection after primary domestication in the Yangtze River valley. More than 7,000 years ago, rice was already cultivated in Southeast Asia (India, China). In Transcaucasia and Central Asia — in the 2nd–3rd centuries BC; in Europe — in the 8th century AD; in the Americas — in the 15th–16th centuries AD. It reached Russia through Hungary in the 15th century. In ancient Chinese treatises (2800 BC), rice is one of the five sacred plants (millet, wheat, barley, soybean). Domestication was aided by a mutation that "turned off" the gene for easy grain separation from the spike.

Rice is a moisture-loving, heat-loving spring crop, grown on flooded fields, in artificial swamps, and lowlands (by seedling method and in open ground). It requires the most careful care of all cereals. Self-pollinating. Growing season 90–170 days. Grows best on chernozems, chestnut, and floodplain soils. Cultivated in rice crop rotations (predecessors — perennial grasses and fallow) for 2–3 consecutive years.

Rice is easily digested and absorbed. Rice is used to produce groats (porridges, soups), flour, starch, beer, rice oil, wine, paper (food and non-food), and woven products. In the East, sake and arak are made. The husks (waste from hulling) and straw are used as animal feed.

In cooking, rice is used in white, brown (unpolished), parboiled, wild, basmati, jasmine, arborio, vialone, carnaroli, and other varieties. It is boiled, stewed, fried, baked, and steamed. Rice is the base of pilaf, risotto, paella, sushi, sashimi, rolls, porridges, soups (solyanka, kharcho, mushroom, chicken), casseroles, puddings, fillings (pies, stuffed cabbage rolls, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes), side dishes, salads, and desserts. Rice flour is used for noodles (cellophane noodles, udon, ramen), pancakes, fritters, flatbreads, bread, cookies, and gluten-free baked goods. Rice pairs well with meat (lamb, beef, pork, chicken), fish, seafood, vegetables (carrots, onions, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, garlic), mushrooms, eggs, cheese, nuts, dried fruits, and spices (turmeric, cumin, barberry, saffron, coriander, ginger, garlic, bay leaf), soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and coconut milk.

Rice is rich in carbohydrates (starch), protein (mainly gluten), vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, E, K, H), folic acid, and minerals (potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, silicon). Brown rice contains more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than white rice. In folk medicine, rice is used as a coating, anti-inflammatory, astringent, diuretic, and laxative (decoction) agent for gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, colitis, enteritis, diarrhea, dysentery, kidney, bladder, gallbladder, and liver diseases, and for strengthening the immune system. Rice decoction and rice water are used as a general tonic and strengthening agent, for improving digestion, metabolism, and the condition of skin, hair, and nails.