Minnesota officially made wild rice as its official state grain in 1977. This is a pretty big deal but not surprising because the state is known for its meticulously cultivated and grown wild rice. Let’s talk in more detail about the wild rice and what makes it so special.
Wild rice is actually not related to common rice. It’s known as zizania Aquatica or zizania palustris in the scientific community. This kind of rice is native to North America and it grows predominantly in the Great Lake region. For a long time, almost all of the wild rice cultivated in the whole world came from Minnesota and most of it still does.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported that “Wild rice has a higher protein content than most cereal grains, making it a good food for wildlife and humans. Wild rice attracts many wild birds, especially waterfowl and red-winged blackbirds, and it also provides nesting cover for waterfowl.”
Not only was wild rice a predominant food for Native Americans throughout centuries, and they called it “manomio.” The word means “good berry.” Other names for wild rice are water oats, blackbird oats, squaw rice, Canadian rice, and Indian rice. The grain is used in a lot of different foods. Some of these include muffins, cookies, desserts, pancakes, soups, salads, dressings, and even casseroles. This is because wild rice has high protein content and is very low in fat. What’s more, the nutritional quantity of wild rice surpasses that of any other grain, making it the far more superior one in comparison.
If you decide to visit Minnesota, you should definitely try out some food prepared with homegrown local wild rice. You’ll get to experience a historic yet fresh taste at the same time!