How rice became a universal grain

F rom the Spanish paella and Italian risotto to the Indian biryani and the Japanese sushi, rice shows up on tables around the world in delectable ways. Not surprisingly, it is a staple food for over half the world’s population. But, thousands of years ago, it was just another wild grass growing in the wetlands of Asia … until humans recognised its “food-worthiness” and began cultivating it. Centuries passed as they perfected the art of growing and cooking rice, and took it from place to place. The crop became so embedded in different Asian cultures that, even today, countries argue over who grew and ate it first.