PURE AND IMPURE FOODS. 



" What a Man Eats He Is." 



Edited by C. F. Langworthy, Ph. D. 

 Author of "On Citraconic, Itaconic and Mesaconic Acids," "Fish as Food," etc. 



RICE AS A FOOD. 



Most of us realize that rice is the most 

 important food stuff of the Orient, but 

 doubtless few realize the extent to which 

 it is raised and eaten in the United States. 

 In the year 1898 the United States used 

 over 190,000,000 pounds of imported rice, 

 besides the home grown crop of some 120,- 

 000,000 pounds. In the same year this 

 country produced in addition to the 

 amounts consumed at home nearly 25,000,- 

 000,000 pounds of common cereals, such as 

 maize, oats, rye, barley, and wheat, which 

 was exported. 



S. A. Knapp has prepared an interesting 

 report of the rice industry in the United 

 States. He says, "Rice forms the princi- 

 pal food of y 2 the population of the 

 earth. It is never the exclusive food of 

 the people, except under necessity for 

 short periods, but it has just claims to a 

 wider and more general use as a food ma- 

 terial than any other cereal. Where dense 

 populations are dependent for food on an 

 annual crop, and any considerable diminu- 

 tion in the supply would result in starva- 

 tion for many, rice has been selected as 

 the staple food wherever the climate per- 

 mits of its cultivation. Among dense pop- 

 ulations, certainty of supply is of first im- 

 portance. 



"Rice cultivation is older than authentic 

 history. It is associated with traditions 

 and mythology of primeval nations. The 

 rice plant was undoubtedly a native of 

 Southeastern Asia from Madras to Cochin- 

 China, but was first cultivated by the Chi- 

 nese. It was known to the early Greeks 

 and Romans, and had spread throughout 

 the tropics before the commencement of 

 the Christian era." 



The rice producing regions of this coun- 

 try are limited to the South Atlantic and 

 Gulf States. For about 200 years after its 

 introduction, South Carolina and Georgia 

 produced nearly all. Some was grown in 

 North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mis- 

 sissippi, and Louisiana. Quite recently 

 Louisiana and Texas have increased the 

 area devoted to rice culture, and now pro- 

 duce about 2-3 of our total crop. Rice 

 was grown in Virginia as early as 1647. 

 It was introduced into South Carolina in 

 1694. A sea captain, homeward bound 

 from Madagascar, was compelled to seek 

 shelter in the harbor of Charleston, and 



while there visited an old friend, Thomas 

 Smith, the landgrave and governor of the 

 province. The governor had also been in 

 Madagascar, where he had seen rice grow- 

 ing. He expressed a desire to try it in a 

 moist piece of ground in his garden, and 

 the captain gave him a small bag of seed 

 which was among the ship's stores. From 

 this small beginning the rice industry of 

 South Carolina developed. 



According to Mr. Knapp, rice is nutri- 

 tious and easily digested. In comparison 

 with other grains, it is poor in protein (al- 

 buminoids), and fat and correspondingly 

 rich in non-nitrogenous substances (carbo- 

 hydrates). 



"Analyses show that 100 pounds of rice 

 contain 87.6 pounds of total nutriment, 

 consisting of 7.4 pounds protein, 0.4 pound 

 fat, and 79.4 pounds carbohydrates. In 

 comparison with this, 100 pounds of wheat 

 flour contain 87.5 pounds of total nutri- 

 ment, consisting of 11 pounds protein, 1. 1 

 pounds fat, and 74.9 pounds carbohydrates. 



"The relative food values of rice and 

 wheat, based solely on the amount of al- 

 buminoids they contain, are in the pro- 

 portion of 10 to 19; based on the value of 

 total nutritive material, the proportion is 

 87 to 82.54. The ease with which the de- 

 ficiency of albuminoids and fats can be 

 supplied win legumes and the almost ab- 

 solute certainty of producing a crop every 

 year are the principal reasons why rice is 

 the staple food in many densely populated 

 countries. 



"It is claimed that boiled rice is digest- 

 ible in one hour, and hence is an admirable 

 food for the last meal of the day. Rice 

 should be at least 3 months' old before it is 

 used as food. In rice producing countries, 

 rice is used as a daily substitute for Irish 

 potatoes and wheat bread. At every meal 

 in Oriental lands rice is the principal food. 

 It is eaten alone, with a little dried fish 

 for seasoning. In well-to-do families bits 

 of preserved ginger, beans boiled and pre- 

 served, soy sauce, mushrooms, barley cake, 

 and sweets are used as relishes with the 

 rice. There is also generally a vegetable 

 or fish soup with which boiled rice is eaten. 

 In the rice districts of the United States 

 rice is used in place of the Irish potato. 

 Dyspeptics will find great relief in substi- 

 tuting boiled rice for potatoes." 



393 



