52. RICE, next to wheat, is used more extensively as a food than any
other cereal. It is a plant much like wheat in appearance, but it grows
only in warm climates and requires very moist soil. In fact, the best
land for rice is that which may be flooded with about 6 inches of water.
This cereal is of two kinds, namely, Carolina rice and Japanese rice.
_Carolina rice_, which is raised chiefly in the southeastern part of the
United States, has a long, narrow grain, whereas _Japanese rice_, which
originated in Japan and is raised extensively in that country and China
and India, has a short, flat, oval grain. Efforts made to raise the
Japanese variety in the United States show a peculiarity of this cereal,
for when it is planted in the same locality as Carolina rice, it soon
loses its identity and takes on the shape of the other. Although vast
crops of rice are raised in the United States, a large quantity of it
must be imported, because these crops are not sufficient to supply the
demands of this country.
53. Before rice grains are prepared for use as food, they have two
coverings. One is a coarse husk that is thrashed off and leaves the
grain in the form of unpolished rice and the other, a thin, brown
coating resembling bran. This thin coating, which is very difficult to
remove, is called, after its removal, _rice polishings_. At one time, so
much was said about the harmful effect of polished rice that a demand
for unpolished rice was begun. This feeling of harm, however, was
unnecessary, for while polished rice lacks mineral matter to a great
extent, it is hot harmful to a person and need cause no uneasiness,
unless the other articles of the diet do not supply a sufficient amount
of this food substance. After the inner coating has been removed, some
of the rice is treated with paraffin or glucose and talc to give it a
glazed appearance. This is called _polish_, and is sometimes confounded
with the term rice polishings. However, no confusion regarding these
terms will result if it is remembered that rice polishings are the thin
inner coating that is removed and polish is what is added to the rice.
In composition, rice differs from the other cereals in that it is
practically all starch and contains almost no fat nor protein.
54. To be perfect, rice should be unbroken and uniform in size, and in
order that it may be put on the market in this form the broken grains
are sifted out. These broken grains are sold at a lower price than the
whole grains, but the only difference between them is their appearance,
the broken grains being quite as nutritious as the whole grains. In
either form, rice is a comparatively cheap food, because it is
plentiful, easily transported, and keeps perfectly for an indefinite
period of time with very little care in storage. Before rice is used, it
should be carefully examined and freed from the husks that are apt to
remain in it; then it should be washed in hot water. The water in which
rice is washed will have a milky appearance, which is due to the coating
that is put on in polishing rice.