Wild rice is known for its black hull and nutty taste.
The rice that is usually consumed in America was first cultivated in Eastern Asia from plants that grew wild in that region. This plant is scientifically placed in the Oryza genus. In the Great Lakes region, another type of wild rice is harvested and sold commercially. This plant is technically considered a grass with the botanical description of Zizania. In the Zizania genus, there are four recognized species, including Zizania palustris or American wild rice.
Zizania Palustris
The black wild rice that is sold in grocery stores originates from the aquatic grass called Zizania palustris. Although much of the harvest takes place in the lakes region of the upper Midwest and lower central Canada, some growers in California and elsewhere have been successful in cultivating the plant on commercial farms. This plant is not closely related to other types of rice, which were first cultivated in Southeast Asia thousands of years ago. Those common cereals are part of a small group of plants scientifically known as Oryza and are different from the wild rices of North America and Manchuria.
Manchurian Wild Rice
Manchuria wild rice or Zizania latifolia is a perennial that grows wild in parts of Japan, China and of course Manchuria. The plant is a profuse grower in the wild, often forming large patches in cold clear water. Although the seeds of the wild plant may be ground into minute pieces and used to make a type of biscuit flour, the most popular edible use of the plant occurs when the stem base is infected with a fungal smut. These swollen greens are prized as a nutty addition to sauteed vegetables. After being parboiled, they are added to a fry pan full of fresh vegetables, where they add a tasty flavor, reportedly similar to coconut. Only cultivated plants are harvested in this manner, for all the wild specimens of Zizania latifolia show a strong resistance to the fungal infection.
Eastern Wild Rice
Zizania aquatica is an annual plant that grows east of its western cousin Z. palustris, which is also an annual. Sometimes these two plants are put together as one species, while other taxonomists separate the two types of wild grass. The western variety is more prized as a food source because of a more substantial seedhead and shell that protects the grain.
Texas Wild Rice
In Texas there is a similar species of perennial wild rice known as Texas wild rice or Zizania texana. At present this aquatic plant is considered endangered, for it grows only along two miles of the San Marcos River in the central part of the state. Typically this Texan rice grows in cold spring-fed waters and produces a nutty grain that varies from one-quarter of an inch to one inch in length. Current threats to these remaining patches of wild rice include water pollution and the nutria, an invasive rodent of the Texas Hill Country.
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