[Sca-cooks] Rice

[Terry Decker]

There are four species of Oryza in the Americas, Oryza glumipatula, O. alta, O. grandiglumis, and O. latifola.  

The evidence for domestication is from a shellmound at Monte Castelo (Brazil) dating from roughly 4,000 to 6,000 years ago.  The evidence is increased size in phytoliths found at the site.  All four species are native to the area and evidence for them was found at the site.  There is no current evidence to support the spread of domesticated Oryza beyond this location, but this is a fairly recent finding and re-examination of other sites may provide a greater range.

 The site is also considered to be the original location for the domestication of cassava, peanuts and chili peppers.

Lautaro Hilbert has written extensively on the phytolith analysis of the site.  Hilbert's doctoral thesis on the analysis can be found here, thesis L.Hilbert (exeter.ac.uk) [https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/30060/HilbertL.pdf]

Bear

On 8/9/2023 1:35:27 PM, Barbara Nostrand <nostrand at acm.org> wrote:
There are three important subspecies of Oryza sativa: japonica, indica, and javanica. African rice Oryza glaberrima was independently domesticated about 3,000 years ago, and North Africa was a major agricultural region for the Roman Empire prior to desertification. Ancient Rome imported Oryza sativa from India. There are two important clades of cultivars of Oryza sativa subsp. Japonica which correspond to differing concentrations of starch molecules. A third species of Oryza was domesticated in the Americas.

Your Humble Servant
Sǫlveig Þrándardóttir
Amateur Scholar

> On Aug 9, 2023, at 11:54 AM, Laureen Hart wrote:
>
> Than you for the link on Rice!
>
> My default rice is long grain white.
> Because I am cheap, most of it seems to be more medium grain compared to the expensive stuff my mother-in-law buys.
> I have never done a taste off, but I do not perceive the taste difference between the different kinds of rice.
> I rarely eat rice plain, so whatever subtle flavor changes would be lost.
>
> Functional differences between the varieties are much more obvious.
>
> Randell
>
> ________________________________
> From: Sca-cooks on behalf of Johnna Holloway
> Sent: Wednesday, August 9, 2023 8:41 AM
> To: Cooks within the SCA
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Beans and Rice
>
> The rice question is addressed here: https://www.medievalcookery.com/notes/rice.html
>
> The beans would have been old world beans as Bear has noted.
>
> Johnna
>
>
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