How many can you answer? Trivia and fun facts quiz about rice

rice paid as land tax (tribute rice)

Nengu-mai refers to rice and other agricultural products, or in-kind taxes in place of them, that peasants paid to landowners or the shogunate mainly during Japan’s Edo period. It can be considered a prototype of today’s tax system, in which peasants delivered rice to the state according to the land’s production.

May–June

Rice planting is generally done around May to June. The timing varies slightly by region, but this period is the most common in Japan. By planting in spring, the rice grows during the warm summer and can be harvested in autumn.

brown rice

Polishing rice refers to the process of removing the outer bran and germ from brown rice to produce white rice. Rice before this polishing process is called “brown rice.” Brown rice is known to be rich in nutrients, containing more dietary fiber and vitamins than white rice, and it is also recognized for its superior shelf life.

Niigata Prefecture

Niigata Prefecture has the largest rice production in Japan. Blessed with fertile soil, abundant water resources, and a moderate climate, Niigata produces large quantities of high-quality rice, notably the Koshihikari variety. Among the other options, Hokkaido ranks second and Akita Prefecture ranks third.

red

The first rice brought from China to Japan was a variety called “akamai” (red rice). Red rice is characterized by a reddish-brown husk and bran layer, and because the technology to mill rice into white rice like we have today did not yet exist at the time, red-colored rice was the mainstream.

cow

In the past, since convenient machines like those we have today had not been invented, everything was done by hand. However, because great strength was needed to plow rice fields, oxen had long been valued as helpers in farm work.

elongated

The representative Indian rice, Indica rice, has a long, slender shape. Compared to Japanese rice, it is less sticky, and when cooked it has a light, fluffy texture with relatively little flavor on its own. For that reason, it pairs exceptionally well with Indian dishes such as curry and biryani.