Tracy Norris
Wild rice is far superior to white rice and healthier than brown rice. Here you can find out how it differs from real rice, how it is cooked, and why you should prepare the black grains more often.
Wild rice is not real rice
Wild rice is also called water rice, Indian rice, or Canadian rice. Its grains are black and very long, significantly longer, and also narrower than the grains of long grain rice. However, wild rice is not one of the more than 100,000 varieties of rice worldwide, as one might assume from its name. Although wild rice and rice both belong to the sweet grass family (Poaceae), they come from different genera.
Wild rice belongs to the genus Zizania. It comes mainly from North America and parts of East Asia. Real rice, on the other hand, belongs to the Oryza genus and is mainly grown in Asia, but also in some parts of Italy and Spain.
Since wild rice has a rice-like shape and is prepared exactly like rice, it earned its name. It should not be confused with wild forms of the genus Oryza, which are referred to as “wild rice”.
Wild rice is an aquatic plant, real rice is not
Zizania derives from the Greek word zizánion, which can be translated as “growing in the water”. In fact, wild rice grows in water, namely on the banks of lakes, rivers, and ponds. Real rice is also cultivated in wet cultivation on the well-known rice terraces in the water, but the fields are artificially flooded to keep weeds and pests away.
Because real rice is actually not an aquatic plant. It has merely adapted to the high water supply over the centuries that it has been grown this way by developing an aeration system for its roots.
From a purely external point of view, the two green types of grass could be confused. However, wild rice forms elongated, dark brown to black grains, while rice grains are usually somewhat shorter and more rounded. In the supermarket, wild rice is almost only available as a wild rice mix – i.e. mixed with conventional rice.
The difference between wild rice and black rice
The difference between wild rice and black rice is not quite as clear due to the similar color. However, the grains of wild rice are darker and also significantly narrower and longer than those of black rice.
Wild rice only turns black when it dries. Previously, its grains have a brownish-green tint.
Black rice, on the other hand, is different from black or a dark-colored variety of real rice. Black rice is black or dark because anthocyanins are stored in its outer layers. These are secondary plant substances with a violet-black color, which are also responsible for the color of many black and blueberries.
If you peel the black rice, it turns white. Because the anthocyanins are only contained in their outer layers. Thus, black rice is always unpeeled rice (whole grain rice).
Black rice comes mainly from Asia – wild rice, on the other hand, is mostly from North America.
Wild rice mostly comes from North America
There are four types of wild rice:
- Three of them – Zizania aquatica, Zizania palustris, and Zizania Texana – come from North America. If you buy a pack of wild rice in the supermarket, it is very likely Zizania palustris.
- Zizania latifolia is native to East Asia. Both the grains and the stems of the plant are edible. The stalks are prepared like a vegetable.
The North American wild rice species grow predominantly around the Canadian and North American Great Lakes and on the Mississippi. The plants grow up to five meters high. Wild rice has been an important part of the diet of indigenous peoples in North America for over 3000 years.
Wild rice traditionally harvested by indigenous tribes
The older generations of the indigenous peoples of North America still harvest the wild rice in the traditional way: sitting in a boat, they bend the stalks forward with wooden sticks and knock the grains out over the boat.
When the stalks spring back, some of the grains end up in the water, where they can be used as seeds for new plants. In this way, the stalks are not damaged and only enough is harvested to preserve the natural stock.
The long grains are then dried in the sun or over a fire, turning them from greenish-brown to black. Finally, they are dehusked – that means the fine shells around the grains are removed.
Modern wild rice harvest: Large part from farms
However, since the demand is greater than the tribes can harvest, 90 percent of the world’s wild rice now comes from American farms. So not only is wild rice, not rice, it often doesn’t even come from wild growth, so the term “wild rice” is entirely misleading.
The plants, most of which are high-yielding hybrids, are cultivated in large water basins and harvested mechanically using combined harvesters.
During industrial drying, the wild rice is then heated to 135 degrees for two hours in a huge rotating tube and de-husked. Sometimes the outermost layer is scored as fine as a hair to reduce the cooking time.
Grains that break during processing are sorted out and then end up mixed with conventional rice, used as animal feed, or processed into flour.
The harvesting methods of the indigenous peoples have also become more modern in order to be able to keep up with the farms. Because the wild rice harvest is often their only source of income. Harvesting with airboats is no longer uncommon and the indigenous population has set up their own factories in which they dry, roast, and pack the rice.
The health properties of wild rice
Hardly any studies have been carried out on wild rice. However, researchers suspect that consuming water rice may prevent cardiovascular disease due to its antioxidant effects.
Traditional Chinese medicine is used to treat digestive problems and diabetes. It is also said to strengthen the kidneys and bladder and have a slightly diuretic effect.
Wild rice has an antioxidant effect
Wild rice is rich in antioxidants — 30 times more than white rice, Canadian researchers have found. The antioxidant effect is mainly attributed to the substances epicatechin, epigallocatechin, rutin and some phenolic acids, and vitamin E, and of course to the anthocyanins mentioned above. The first two substances are also partly responsible for the antioxidant properties of green tea.
Antioxidant substances reduce oxidative stress in the body. An excess of oxidative stress increases the risk of almost all chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.
The glycemic load and glycemic index of wild rice
Wild rice, with a glycemic load of 25, has less of an impact on blood sugar than white and brown rice, both with a glycemic load of over 30. For this reason, it is better than real rice, especially for people with diabetes.
But it also makes sense to eat foods with a low glycemic load for all other chronic inflammatory diseases, since blood sugar fluctuations have a pro-inflammatory effect, which can be prevented with a low-glycemic diet.
Arsenic in wild rice?
Like regular rice, wild rice can be contaminated with arsenic. There are currently no current analyzes of wild rice – only the results of an American study from 2000.
The arsenic content was increased by 0.11 mg/kg. However, it did not exceed the current maximum limit for inorganic arsenic in rice and contained much less arsenic than real rice. For comparison:
- White rice: 0.2 mg/kg
- Whole grain and parboiled rice: 0.25 mg/kg
Arsenic occurs naturally in soil and water. Since rice and wild rice plants require a lot of water and are usually grown in standing water, they absorb more arsenic than other grains.
You can easily reduce the arsenic content of wild rice and rice by washing the grains several times with water before cooking. Soaking wild rice for several hours also reduces the arsenic content and also shortens the cooking time.
Conclusion: Is Wild Rice Better Than Rice?
Wild rice is healthy and nutritionally valuable food. Paddy rice contains more protein and fiber than real rice and is low in fat and calories. Even when cooked, it helps to cover the need for B vitamins and provides a lot of zinc and antioxidants.
It is also well tolerated and puts less strain on the blood sugar level than real rice. Wild rice is far superior to white rice and performs better than brown rice in our comparison.
Its nutty aroma also goes well with a variety of dishes – it tastes particularly good in combination with vegetables, in a stew, or with curry. All in all, wild rice is a great addition to a healthy, plant-based diet.
