The internet is full of fabulous facts about everything from current events to the history basket weaving and rice fun facts. As we research for our daily content on food trucks, food carts and street food, we stumble upon some items of knowledge that we just did not know.

We have decided when these fun facts pop up, that we would share them with our readers in our section titled “Did You Know?”

For today’s Did You Know we will look at Rice Fun Facts

Rice Fun Facts: Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryza glaberrima (African rice).

• Rice is the oldest known food that is still widely consumed today. Archaeologists can date its consumption back to 5000 BC.
• There are three types of rice grain: short, medium and long.
• April 19th is National Rice Ball Day.
• There are over 40,000 varieties of rice the three favorite are Basmati, Thai Jasmine and Italian Arborio.
• Asia alone both produces and consumes 90% of the world’s rice.
• September is National Rice Month.
• Besides rice wine, vinegar and beer, the distilled plant can produce excellent grappa, and sake.
• When leaving the wedding ceremony, and after the blessing of the bride and groom, it is traditional in all cultures to throw grains of rice over the heads of the newlyweds in order to wish them prosperity and fertility in the future.
• One of the secrets to Chinese architecture under the Chinese Ming dynasty (1300-1600) can be found hidden in limestone. Rice, which adds strength and stability, was used in the walls of the city of Nanjing.

Rice Fun Facts We May Have Missed

Feel free to let us know about the Rice Fun Facts we missed. We always love to add to these lists. If we can verify that the facts is just that, a fact, we will give the reader credit in the article.

Reference: Wikipedia facts about Rice

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