Everything You Need To Know About: Wild Rice

Wild rice is one of our fantastic Future 50 Foods! Find out how this tasty seed is cultivated and prepared as well as all the nutritional goodness it holds.

Origins:
You might be surprised to learn that this so-called “rice” isn’t a rice at all. It's actually the seed of a semi-aquatic grass that grows in North American lakes and rivers.

Description:
The seeds are long, thin and covered by green, brown or black husks. After harvesting, the husk is dried, hulled and mixed in with brown or white rice to be sold. Wild rice is grown wild and is not commercially cultivated, so often the supply can be scarce in many parts of the world.

Preparation:
Deliciously nutty, toasty and earthy with a chewy texture, wild rice is easy to digest and a source of various valuable minerals. Wild rice is prepared in the same manner as brown or white rice but it can also be popped like corn for a more colourful and nutritious version of popcorn. It can also be incorporated into salads, soups or veggie burger patties.

Nutritional Value:
Wild rice is a naturally gluten free and Low GI food containing 3x more iron, 3x zinc and 10x folate than ordinary white rice. A serving of wild rice also provides up to a third of an adult's daily needs for zinc, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, manganese. These nutrients can help to boost your immune system and break down the energy from food.

As one of our Future 50 Foods, you can trust that wild rice is good for you and better for the planet.