Did you know that contrary to what many people believe, wild rice is not really rice, It's grass? Much of it sold in the world today is not even wild but rather cultivated varieties that do not occur naturally. Wild rice is really an annual aquatic seed Zizania aquatica found mostly in the upper freshwater lakes of Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in North America.
The Algonquin, Ojibwa, Dakota, Winnebago, Sioux, Fox, and Chippewa tribes used wild rice as an important staple in their diets and considered it the centerpiece of their Megwetch Manomin Feast that followed the first harvest. During the long, cold winters when the lakes were frozen and hunting was difficult, their precious stores of wild rice nourished them well. They called it manomin or mahnomen, after the Menominee tribe and referred to the grains as "good berry." They also had great reverence for "the precious grain sent by the Great Spirit to serve as food." The grain was so valuable to subsistence that tribes sometimes waged wars over wild rice territories. The Chippewa even carried small pouches of wild rice with them whenever they traveled.
Before any explorers set foot on the North American continent, wild rice was gathered by Indians over an expansive of area North America from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi Valley. Archeologists found charred remains of wild rice seeds in threshing pits in the northern states that existed long before there was contact with Europeans. By the early part of the1900s, only clear lakes and rivers of the most northern regions of Minnesota could still support the growth of wild rice and provide the Indians their staple food.
The French term folles avoines,translated as crazy oats, was given by the early French explorers. These explorers were greatly impressed with the strength and hardiness of the woodland Indians and attributed their vitality to their ample servings of wild rice.
Jonathan Carver, an Englishman from London, came to explore North America and wrote Travels through the Interior Parts of North America in the Years 1766, l767, and 1768. He recognized and reported back that wild rice was the most important of all the native wild food plants in the country.
It became known as wild rice because the explorers noticed Indians gathering it in the waters of the Great Lakes region. As they observed it rising 3 or 4 feet above the water, it reminded them of rice paddies.
Cooked wild rice has a rich nutty flavor, sometimes described as a smoky flavor, and a texture that is delightfully chewy. The slender, elongated grains that often come to market are usually about one-half inch in length and almost black in color with some touches of green. Premium grades of truly wild, uncultivated wild rice sold in gourmet markets can be as long as one-inch and the colors can vary from medium brown to nearly pure black.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Thanks for looking! God Bless, Simone :)
Copyright@SimoneBonda
Disclaimer - The herbal information on this web site is intended for educational purposes only. It is not the intention of the editor to advise on health care. Please see a medical professional about any health concerns you have. Disclaimer - These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information on this web site is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. Tweet
The Algonquin, Ojibwa, Dakota, Winnebago, Sioux, Fox, and Chippewa tribes used wild rice as an important staple in their diets and considered it the centerpiece of their Megwetch Manomin Feast that followed the first harvest. During the long, cold winters when the lakes were frozen and hunting was difficult, their precious stores of wild rice nourished them well. They called it manomin or mahnomen, after the Menominee tribe and referred to the grains as "good berry." They also had great reverence for "the precious grain sent by the Great Spirit to serve as food." The grain was so valuable to subsistence that tribes sometimes waged wars over wild rice territories. The Chippewa even carried small pouches of wild rice with them whenever they traveled.
Before any explorers set foot on the North American continent, wild rice was gathered by Indians over an expansive of area North America from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi Valley. Archeologists found charred remains of wild rice seeds in threshing pits in the northern states that existed long before there was contact with Europeans. By the early part of the1900s, only clear lakes and rivers of the most northern regions of Minnesota could still support the growth of wild rice and provide the Indians their staple food.
The French term folles avoines,translated as crazy oats, was given by the early French explorers. These explorers were greatly impressed with the strength and hardiness of the woodland Indians and attributed their vitality to their ample servings of wild rice.
Jonathan Carver, an Englishman from London, came to explore North America and wrote Travels through the Interior Parts of North America in the Years 1766, l767, and 1768. He recognized and reported back that wild rice was the most important of all the native wild food plants in the country.
It became known as wild rice because the explorers noticed Indians gathering it in the waters of the Great Lakes region. As they observed it rising 3 or 4 feet above the water, it reminded them of rice paddies.
Cooked wild rice has a rich nutty flavor, sometimes described as a smoky flavor, and a texture that is delightfully chewy. The slender, elongated grains that often come to market are usually about one-half inch in length and almost black in color with some touches of green. Premium grades of truly wild, uncultivated wild rice sold in gourmet markets can be as long as one-inch and the colors can vary from medium brown to nearly pure black.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Thanks for looking! God Bless, Simone :)
Copyright@SimoneBonda
Disclaimer - The herbal information on this web site is intended for educational purposes only. It is not the intention of the editor to advise on health care. Please see a medical professional about any health concerns you have. Disclaimer - These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information on this web site is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. Tweet
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