Wild rice is also called water rice, Indian rice or Canadian rice. Its grains are black and longer and narrower. than long grain rice grains.

However, wild rice It is not one of the more than 100,000 varieties of rice there is in the world, as one might assume from its name. Although wild rice and rice belong to the sweet grass family (Poaceae), come from different genres.

From a purely external point of view, the two plants could be confused, but wild rice belongs to the genus Zizaniawhile the traditional common rice belongs to the genus Oryza.

Wild rice comes from North America, while wild rice Oryza It comes from Asia and has spread to regions around the world.

Since wild rice is similar in shape to rice and It is prepared exactly like rice, He earned his name. It should not be confused with wild forms of the genus Oryzawhich are called «wild rice.»

What is wild rice

Zizania It derives from the Greek word zizánion, which can be translated as «grow in water.» In fact, Wild rice grows in water, on the banks of lakes, rivers and ponds.

Common rice is also wet grown on the well-known water rice terraces, but the fields are artificially flooded to keep weeds and pests away. It is not an aquatic plant, it has simply adapted to high water supply over the centuries by developing an aeration system for its roots.

On the other hand, we should not confuse the black varieties of rice Oryza with wild rice. Black rice owes its color to the presence of anthocyanins. On the other hand, when harvested, wild rice is brownish green, but turns black when dried.

Types of wild rice

North American Wild Rice Species They grow predominantly around the Great Lakes of Canada and North America and in the Mississippi. The plants grow up to five meters high.

• Zizania aquatica (comes from North America)
• Zizania palustris (comes from North America)
• Texan zizania (comes from North America)
• Zizania latifolia (it is native to East Asia)

If you buy a package of wild rice at the supermarket, it is most likely Zizania palustris.

How to harvest wild rice

Traditional harvest by indigenous tribes

The oldest generations of indigenous people in North America still harvest wild rice in the traditional way: sitting in a boat, they bend the stalks forward with wooden sticks and throw the grains over the boat.

When the stems sprout again, some of the grains end up in the water, where they generate new plants. In this way, the stems are not damaged and only enough is harvested to preserve the natural stock.

Then the long grains They dry in the sun or fire, turning greenish brown to black. Finally, the outer shell is removed.

Modern wild rice harvest

However, because demand is greater than tribes can harvest, 90% of the world’s wild rice now comes from modern farms, where It is grown in large ponds of water and is collected with harvesting machines.

During industrial drying, wild rice is heated to 135°C for two hours in a huge rotating tube and hulled. Sometimes another thin outer layer is also removed to later reduce the cooking time.

Properties of wild rice

Like common rice, wild rice It is low in fat and calories, but its protein content is double that of Oryza. In addition, its fiber content is slightly higher than that of brown rice and obviously white rice.

• Except for vitamin B12, all B vitamins are contained in wild rice. Although the values ​​are for cooked rice and B vitamins are sensitive to heat, wild rice and brown rice help meet daily B vitamin requirements.
• wild rice provides more vitamin B2, vitamin B3 and folic acid than brown rice.
• Brown rice and wild rice contain about the same amount of calcium and magnesium, which multiply by three those of white rice.
• Wild rice contains twice as much potassium as brown rice and 6 times the potassium of white rice.
• 100 g of cooked wild rice contains 3.5 times more zinc than the same amount of brown rice and 10 times more zinc than white rice. 100 g of wild rice covers a quarter of the daily requirement of zinc.

Nutritional value of wild rice

100 g of wild rice contains:

• Calories: 101
• Carbohydrates: 21 g
• Proteins: 4 g
• Fiber: 2g
• Vitamin B6: 7% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA)
• Folic acid: 6% RDA
• Magnesium: 8% of the RDA
• Phosphorus: 8% of the RDA
• Zinc: 9% of the RDA
• Copper: 6% of the RDA
• Manganese: 14% of the RDA

Healthy benefits of wild rice

Wild rice is gluten- and histamine-free and is generally very well tolerated.

Antioxidant

wild rice It is rich in antioxidants thanks to the presence of epicatechin, epigallocatechin, rutin and some phenolic acids, anthocyanins and vitamin E.

Antioxidant substances reduce oxidative stress in the body. Excess oxidative stress increases the risk of almost all chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Low glycemic load

Wild rice, with a glycemic load of 25, has less impact on blood sugar than white and brown rice, both with a glycemic load greater than 30.

Therefore, wild rice can be part of a weight control diet, to prevent diabetes and inflammation.

Wild Rice Cooking Time

Wild rice is prepared similarly to regular rice. Cooking times can vary widely, between 30 minutes for shaved rice and 50 minutes of a more whole grain.

Following the manufacturer’s guidance is the safest course, but you can reduce the cooking time by soaking it for an hour or two.

Arsenic and phytic acid in wild rice

Like regular rice, wild rice tends to absorb and accumulate arsenic that may be in the crop soil and water. There are not many studies, but those that have been carried out estimate that the arsenic content may be around 0.11 mg/kg, half that of rice Oryza.

Content can be easily reduced washing grains before cooking or leaving them to soak for several hours.

Like common rice and like any other grain, wild rice contains phytic acid in comparable proportions. Phytic acid can reduce the absorption of iron and calcium, but it also has beneficial effects on the body.

In any case, Soaking and cooking reduce excess phytic acid.