Rice

Rice
Rice, as Oryzae sativa L., is a leading food crop, the staple food of over half the world population. Although it is generally considered (land grown as) a semiaquatic annual grain plant, varieties grow in areas from deeply flooded land to dry, hilly slopes, and (like wheat) on every continent except Antarctica. The gross yield of rice per unit of land area is second only to that of corn, but its net food yield is the highest of any cereal grain. The harvested grain before hulling before hulling is known as rough rice.

The world crop for 1988-89 was estimated to be 477 million metric tons, with China and Taiwan in the lead with 36.7% of this. Like corn starch, rice starch has amylase and amylopectin components. The medium grain varieties are useful for puffing to make a breakfast cereal, as well as for brewing adjuncts and for parboiling. These provide milled rice for breakfast cereals, for canning, and for direct consumer home use. Some of the milled rice is also further processed to make quick cooking or instant rice.
Rice