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Since 2024, an eye-catching "wild rice" variety has emerged in the mainland market, which has quickly aroused the enthusiastic pursuit and attention of consumers. Under the strong rendering of many authoritative media and merchants, "wild rice" is respected as "caviar in grains", and its price is even as high as more than 100 yuan per catty!
Looking back on history, it is not difficult to find that "wild rice" is not a new species, and its real appearance is actually the seed of an aquatic plant called "mushroom". As early as the American continent, the earliest Indians used this wild mushroom seed as a major food source.
They use a simple harvesting method to gently knock down ripe ears of rice to collect them, a primitive gathering technique that is still passed down to this day.
However, in this ancient land of the mainland, the wild rice crop has been in people's attention for thousands of years and has become an indispensable part of the daily life of our ancestors.
Especially in the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, wild rice was deeply loved by literati and ink writers, and became their favorite delicacy in life.
Similarly, Su Shi, a great writer of the Song Dynasty, was full of praise for the wild rice: "The processed pearls are as clear as round pearls, and the cooked wild rice exudes a quiet aroma."
With poetic words, he vividly portrays the charming style of wild rice, making people feel as if they are in its deliciousness.
It is worth mentioning that in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" written by Li Shizhen, a medical master in the Ming Dynasty, many characteristics of wild rice are also recorded in detail: "Wild rice has a sweet taste, cold nature, and no toxicity.
It has the effect of relieving cough and asthma, relieving the symptoms of boredom and heat, and at the same time regulating the stomach and intestines" It can be seen that wild rice is not only highly nutritious, but also widely used in health care.
All in all, for the Chinese nation, wild rice is undoubtedly a unique treasure of food culture, which has left a deep imprint in the long history. It bears witness to the wisdom of our ancestors and embodies their reverence for all things natural.
As early as the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, this style of food originating from the land of China was warmly admired by literati and scholars and has become the treasure of their lives.
The world-famous romantic poet Li Bai affectionately praised the unique charm of wild rice in his poem "Xun Yuanjia at the foot of Suwu Song Mountain". He depicted with delicate brushstrokes: "Kneel into the carved hu rice, the moon is bright on the plain plate", the white and crystal mushroom rice, like the bright moon illuminating the plain plate, which makes people have endless aftertaste.
Similarly, Su Shi, an outstanding literary giant of the Song Dynasty, was full of praise for this ancient grain. In his poem, he wrote, "The processed pearls are as crystal clear as round pearls, and the cooked mushroom rice exudes a burst of fragrance."
Su Shi vividly outlines the unique flavor of wild rice in poetic language, making people seem to be able to feel its wonderful taste.
Not only has it left a deep mark on literary works, but it also enjoys a high reputation in the field of medicine. In the "Compendium of Materia Medica" by Li Shizhen, a medical master in the Ming Dynasty, there is a detailed record of wild rice: "Wild rice is sweet in taste, cold in nature, and has no toxicity.
It has a cough suppressant function, can relieve irritation and heat, and has the effect of regulating the stomach and intestines" It can be seen that this ancient food crop is not only nutritious, but also has a remarkable effect in health care.
All in all, for the Chinese nation, wild rice is undoubtedly a unique treasure of food culture, and has written a brilliant chapter in the long history. It bears witness to the dietary wisdom of our ancestors and reflects their respect and love for all things natural.
This food crop, which has a long history of cultivation in China, was once a favorite delicacy in the lives of literati and scholars, and it is also a precious medicinal material in the treasure house of traditional Chinese medicine. However, despite such an important place in Chinese food culture, wild rice has been replaced by latecomers.
The main reason for this is that the strict requirements of the growing environment and the arduous harvesting process of wild rice have laid the groundwork for its eventual decline.
However, even in the face of these difficulties, this precious food, which once brought well-being to our ancestors, still left a deep and profound mark in the long river of history, and has indisputably become a witness to Chinese food culture.
Sadly, despite its pivotal role in China's long-standing food culture, it has not escaped being replaced by latecomers.
First of all, the growing cycle of wild rice is too long, and it is often not until October or December that the harvest season can be ushered in, which undoubtedly brings great time and economic pressure to growers.
In contrast, the growth cycle of other crops is relatively short, which undoubtedly puts wild rice in a disadvantageous situation in the fierce market competition.
Secondly, wild rice has extremely strict requirements for the growing environment. As long as the environment is slightly deviated, even if it has grown, it is difficult to produce full rice grains. This means that in ancient societies, it was almost impossible for people to cultivate wild wild rice by artificial cultivation, and more often they had to rely on wild wild wild grass as the main source.
This undoubtedly further limits the scale and output of wild rice.
In addition, picking wild rice is a daunting task in itself. Since the mushroom plants must grow in alkaline lakes, they need to be harvested by boat, and the ears of rice tend to fall off and float on the water.
If you miss the best harvest time, you may lose those precious ingredients forever, which undoubtedly greatly increases the difficulty of obtaining wild rice.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the ripening period of wild rice is not fixed, and growers need to pay attention to changes in the field at all times to avoid missing the best harvest time. This is undoubtedly a huge challenge for growers.
However, in the process, a new crop called "Wild Rice" quietly emerged, which became an unexpected surprise after the decline of wild rice. It is actually the rhizome part of the mushroom, and when the mushroom was infected with smut, people accidentally discovered this delicious and nutritious new ingredient.
It not only has high nutritional value, but also has a variety of medicinal effects such as clearing heat and dampness, whitening and freckle removal, and has quickly won the love and pursuit of consumers.
I have to admit that this crop, which was originally only a derivative of wild rice, has risen to become the protagonist of the new era to replace wild rice! In terms of planting cost and environmental adaptability, it has undoubtedly shown excellent competitive strength, and it is logical to replace it as a new staple crop in the mainland.
Looking back on history, the glorious wild rice in the past failed to withstand the impact of the torrent of the times and withdrew gloomily, which undoubtedly symbolizes an earth-shaking change in the pattern of Chinese food culture.
Just as the mainland is gradually getting rid of its over-reliance on wild rice and turning to the promotion of wild rice, a new ingredient called "wild rice" has aroused enthusiastic responses in overseas markets.
So, where does this mysterious "wild rice" come from? It turns out that the so-called "wild rice" is actually the familiar wild rice. As early as the American continent, local Indians began to harvest this wild mushroom seed as a daily staple food.
To this day, this ancient custom of collecting "wild rice" by indigenous people is still passed down from generation to generation, and has gradually won wide attention from the international community.
People are deeply attracted by the unique nutritional value of "wild rice" and have praised it as "caviar in cereals". However, despite the excellent nutritional content of domestic coconut rice, it cannot compete with the miraculous "wild" ingredient of "wild rice".
Therefore, a large number of "wild rice" from the United States and Canada poured into the domestic market at a high price, and was warmly sought after by the majority of consumers.
This stark contrast is deeply perplexing: why is it that wild rice, which was once revered by our ancestors as a superior grain, has gradually lost its former glory at home and is now highly regarded abroad?
In fact, as a native of the mainland, its nutritional value should not be underestimated. It is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals, and it is worth mentioning that the organic nitrogen contained in it is in the form of amino acids, which makes it easier for the body to absorb and utilize.
In addition, it also has a variety of medicinal effects such as clearing heat and dampness, removing freckle and whitening, providing consumers with a green and healthy lifestyle.
However, it is surprising that after being branded as "wild" and "natural", "wild rice" has quickly taken over the domestic market in just a few years, and many consumers do not hesitate to spend a lot of money to buy it in order to experience this novelty.
Behind this phenomenon, it precisely reflects the extreme desire of contemporary consumers for so-called "health and health" products.
Obviously, as a leader in traditional Chinese food culture, wild rice has not received the attention it deserves. Not only has it gradually become a marginal crop in China, but even its root product has fallen into a dilemma of insufficient supply.
However, in stark contrast, the foreign "wild rice" has successfully entered the domestic market in a short period of time with its exquisite marketing strategy, which has aroused the enthusiasm of consumers.
This huge contrast between the domestic and foreign markets undoubtedly reveals the lack of understanding and attention paid to traditional food culture by Chinese consumers. In the face of a dazzling array of "foreign grains", they are often more inclined to choose the gorgeous packaging carefully created by the merchants, while ignoring the excellent local ingredients.
This is undoubtedly an issue that we need to think deeply about.
However, we don't need to give too much credit to "wild rice". After all, in the vast land of China, we still have valuable wild rice resources. Although this ancient nutrient-rich food crop has been phased out over the course of a long history, some research teams are now actively engaged in the cultivation of wild rice, hoping to bring this traditional food back to our tables.
Recently, relevant departments have revealed that scientific researchers are trying to explore how to use modern agricultural science and technology to solve the problems of harsh growing conditions and low yield of wild rice, so as to achieve large-scale planting.
They plan to revitalize this age-old food crop by improving soil quality and screening for more adaptable varieties to win the hearts of consumers again.
At the same time, the mainland is also making every effort to promote the development of organic agriculture, which provides an unprecedented opportunity for the development of agricultural products with unique flavors such as wild rice. Organic agriculture advocates respecting the laws of nature and reducing the use of chemical pollutants as much as possible, which just meets the special requirements of wild rice for the growing environment.
If our generation of researchers can make remarkable breakthroughs in this field, then it will not be long before we can find more wild rice from mainland China on the shelves of dazzling supermarkets!
It is worth mentioning that when wild rice returns to the market, it is also crucial to guide consumers to recognize its importance in a rational and objective manner. It is true that for many people, "wild rice" imported from overseas has become one of the fashions and trends.
Therefore, how to make consumers understand that these traditional ingredients in the mainland also have unique nutritional value and profound cultural heritage, which are also worthy of their try and appreciation, will undoubtedly become the core issue to be solved urgently in the future.
As the famous poet Lu You described: "Two liters of wild rice are cooked in the morning for breakfast, and a lamp accompanies me to read hard late at night." "I sincerely hope that one day, such a warm and touching scene can be presented in our daily life again.