Rice

Rice is a small, oval grain from the grass Oryza sativa. It cooks to a neutral, mildly sweet taste with a fluffy or sticky texture depending on variety, and is commonly used for steamed sides, pilafs, fried rice, sushi, and congee; it is sold as long-, medium-, and short-grain in white, brown, jasmine, and basmati forms.\n\nDomesticated in Asia thousands of years ago, rice spread across East and South Asia and later into the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas through trade and cultivation. Today it is grown in flooded paddies and upland fields worldwide, anchoring cuisines from Chinese and Japanese to Indian, Thai, West African, and Latin American.