PURE AND IMPURE FOODS. 



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

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



'' What a Man Eats He Is." 



USES AND PROPAGATION OF WILD RICE. 



The seed of wild rice has been used as 

 food by the Indians, particularly those of 

 the middle Northwest, since as long ago, 

 at least, as the first acquaintance of the 

 white man with their customs. Since the 

 advent of the white man, the Indian of the 

 upper Mississippi valley has continued to 

 use large quantities of wild rice, notwith- 

 standing the abundance of other forms of 

 cereal food, such as flour and corn meal, 

 and this in spite of the fact that the har- 

 vesting and curing of the seed require 

 arduous labor. Wild rice, as prepared for 

 food by the Indians, is highly esteemed by 

 many white men who have had the oppor- 

 tunity of testing it, and the entire available 

 supply now sells at 2 to 3 times the price 

 of ordinary white rice. Wild rice is an 

 important food of ducks and other game 

 birds, and many clubs and other owners 

 of feeding grounds of such wild fowl have 

 attempted to grow this grain, with varying 

 success. To supply the demand for infor- 

 mation on the subject, the United States 

 Department of Agriculture has carried on 

 extensive studies' of wild rice propagation 

 and uses. 



While by far the largest demand for in- 

 formation regarding this plant has come 

 from men or organizations wishing to se- 

 cure viable seed for planting near shooting 

 grounds to attract wild fowl, the possibil- 

 ity of preparing from one seed a large and 

 regular supply of a nutritious and highly 

 flavored cereal food has received some at- 

 tention. The importance of maintaining 

 good feeding grounds for wild fowl, of 

 which the propagation of wild rice is an 

 important element, would perhaps be con- 

 ceded by all, and the desirability of propa- 

 gating a plant which will make the other- 

 wise waste areas of the upper Mississippi 

 valley yield a valuable and highly esteemed 

 cereal is also evident. 



While wild rice and the ordinary rice 

 both belong to the great family of grasses, 

 the 2 grains are not closely related botan- 

 icall) r . Wild rice contains some 13 per 

 cent, protein and 75 per cent, carbohy- 

 drates, with a little fat and ash, the fuel 

 value being about 1,600 calories a pound. 

 Ordinary rice contains 8 per cent, protein 

 and 79 per cent, carbohydrates ; barley 8.5 

 per cent, protein and 78 per cent, carbohy- 

 drates ; and rolled oats 17 per cent, protein 

 and 66 per cent, carbohydrates ; the fuel 

 value of these grains being 1,600. 1,650 and 

 1,850 calories a pound respectively. 



332 



As will be seen, wild rice resembles com- 

 mon cereal grains in composition. As is 

 the case with wheat, rye, barley, and other 

 grains, the greater portion of the nutritive 

 material consists of carbohydrates, al- 

 though the quantity of protein is propor- 

 tionately large. Wild rice .contains little 

 fat, in this respect resembling rice, barley, 

 and wheat more closely than corn and 

 oats. In composition and fuel value, it com- 

 pares favorably with the common cereal 

 grains. Little is known of the comparative 

 digestibility of wild rice, but from its ex- 

 tended use by the Indians and others it 

 seems safe to assume that this grain is 

 wholesome, and, as said above, analysis 

 shows that it is, like the more common 

 cereals, a nutritious food. As far as can 

 be learned no extended study of the pro- 

 teids, fats, and carbohydrates of wild rice- 

 has been carried on. Some tests which 

 were recently made showed that starch is 

 present in large quantities and in the form 

 which gives a blue color and iodin ; and 

 indications were observed of an enzyme 

 which caused fermentation of the grain 

 when moistened. The grain is usually 

 parched to aid in the removal of its outer 

 hull, and is beaten and tramped before 

 winnowing. This breaks most of the 

 grains into large or smaller fragments so 

 that the resulting product resembles the 

 so called cracked grain, a form in which 

 common cereals like wheat are often 

 eaten. The unbroken grain is not unlike 

 a slim kernel of wheat in appearance, its 

 outer covering being dark brown or almost 

 black in color, when the grain is well 

 ripened. If this dark layer is removed the 

 grain is almost white and has something 

 of the translucent appearance of rice. 



When wild rice is soaked in water, a 

 peculiar odor is noticeable, recalling that 

 of damp hay. When it is boiled it also 

 possesses a characteristic odor, something 

 like that of boiled barley. The raw grain 

 has a starchy taste, while the cooked grain 

 resembles barley much more than it does 

 white rice in taste. The flavor of wild 

 rice is characteristic and is relished by 

 many. When cooked, the wild rice kernels 

 expand to about 2 or 3 times their original 

 size, and except for the bits of dark outer 

 covering ordinarily present the cooked ma- 

 terial is of a grayish white color. In Min- 

 nesota and adjacent States where wild rice 

 is best known it is usually eaten as a break- 

 fast cereal, or cooked in much the same 

 manner as ordinary white rice. 



