Episode 9: What makes rice the world’s staple?

[upbeat music] You guys, why do you think rice is just so prevalent across the world?

I think for the fact that in the countries that rice has grown, first of all, they're large populations.

The climate, the weather.

You need a lot of water.

You need a lot of rich soil.

Rice grows really well there, and it's a grain that originated in China and then kind of spread across Asia.

For me, growing up, rice has such an important significance because you see it in every part of everyday life in India.

You see it at breakfast, like dosas and idlis, which are fermented rice and, uh, lentil batters.

You'll also see it as part of some really dramatic dishes for celebrations, like biryani, which is layered rice, which is something I always ask my aunts to make me for my birthday.

It's such a commitment to make a true biryani.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, that's a couple days.

Yeah, it's not a recipe that should be rushed, made in an instant pot because it's an effort of love.

Yeah.

Growing up, um, like we always had rice unless my mom was experimenting with American food.

Uh-huh.

I learned how to cook rice from my grandmother.

And so I learned how to s- um, rinse the rice-

Uh-huh

... and how to make sure the water ran clear.

You would cook the rice.

At the end of the meal, any leftover rice was packaged up.

Sometimes it was reused the next day in some other dish.

And if it was just really, really stale and really, really old, um, she would actually take it outside and break it up into little individual grains for the birds.

[upbeat music] You guys, why do you think rice is just so prevalent across the world?

I think for the fact that in the countries that rice has grown, first of all, they're large populations.

The climate, the weather.

You need a lot of water.

You need a lot of rich soil.

Rice grows really well there, and it's a grain that originated in China and then kind of spread across Asia.

For me, growing up, rice has such an important significance because you see it in every part of everyday life in India.

You see it at breakfast, like dosas and idlis, which are fermented rice and, uh, lentil batters.

You'll also see it as part of some really dramatic dishes for celebrations, like biryani, which is layered rice, which is something I always ask my aunts to make me for my birthday.

It's such a commitment to make a true biryani.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, that's a couple days.

Yeah, it's not a recipe that should be rushed, made in an instant pot because it's an effort of love.

Yeah.

Growing up, um, like we always had rice unless my mom was experimenting with American food.

Uh-huh.

I learned how to cook rice from my grandmother.

And so I learned how to s- um, rinse the rice-

Uh-huh

... and how to make sure the water ran clear.

You would cook the rice.

At the end of the meal, any leftover rice was packaged up.

Sometimes it was reused the next day in some other dish.

And if it was just really, really stale and really, really old, um, she would actually take it outside and break it up into little individual grains for the birds.