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

adzuki (red bean)

The red color of sekihan (festive red rice) comes from cooking glutinous rice together with azuki beans; the color from the beans seeps out and dyes the rice red. The cooking liquid from the azuki contains a pigment called anthocyanin, which is what colors the rice.

duck

When ducks are released into rice paddies, they eat weeds and aquatic pests, making a significant contribution to rice cultivation. This method is called the “aigamo farming method,” and it is an eco-friendly approach that helps reduce the use of chemical pesticides. The ducks’ droppings also serve as an important fertilizer for the rice.

white

Rice flowers are very small, with whitish petals. You can’t see them well from a distance, but if you look closely, you’ll notice they are white. That’s why they’re easy to miss in the paddies, yet rice does bloom with lovely white flowers. By the way, they’re said to bloom only for about two hours in the morning around August.

chili pepper

The vegetable that has long been used as an insect repellent when storing rice is chili pepper. When chili peppers are stored together with rice, the capsaicin they contain makes it harder for insects to approach, so they have traditionally been used to prevent infestations.

refrigerator

Rice is sensitive to heat and humidity, and leaving it at room temperature or in sunny spots accelerates deterioration. In particular, temperatures above 20°C make insects and mold more likely to appear. If you store rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator’s vegetable compartment, the lower temperature and humidity help it last longer and prevent insects and mold.

Bangladesh

The country with the highest per capita rice consumption in the world is Bangladesh. Most of its people eat a large amount of rice every day, and it is indispensable as a staple food. Even among Asian countries, rice culture is particularly deeply rooted there. Laos and Cambodia follow. Incidentally, Japan ranks 50th.

7 people

The correct answer is “seven people.” There’s a saying that “seven gods dwell in a single grain of rice.” These seven gods refer to water, earth, wind, insects, clouds, the sun, and people. The phrase carries the message that we should eat with gratitude and not waste rice or food.