There exists a plethora of basic grains that have existed in the popular palate as staple foods for generations, and sometimes millenia. Many of us were raised with white rice being a common side dish, ingredient, and even feature in our meals.
In my own home, rice was one of a handful of rotating foods that was paired with just about anything, as a cheap, easy, and filling source of nutrients, seen on our plates several times per week. However, as our society becomes more health oriented, we have begun educating ourselves on what our foods are really composed of, and have started looking back on basic ingredients that have been unnecessarily processed to the point of losing the nutriments that their wild cousins contain.
Plain white rice is no exception, and in its place a number of other grains and alternatives have cropped up, quinoa, lentils, and couscous are no longer exotic dishes, but frequently encountered in the most basic grocery stores. In this rapidly changing and expanding market, Floating Leaf Wild Rice is an exemplary product that reflects the needs both for the culinary use of rice, and the consumer’s desire for a more nutrient rich, healthy option.
Who is Floating Leaf Wild Rice?
Floating Leaf Wild Rice is a successful family run business based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada. It has been running a prosperous trade in the processing and sales of high quality wild rice and blends for over 50 years, and its products are sold in a majority of large chain retailers and grocery stores, as well as hundreds of local regional independent food stores across Canada.
In addition to its wide range of availability within Canada, it can also be found exported to foreign markets including, but not limited to Japan, Brazil, Israel, South Africa, a number of European countries, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia. In its efforts to be the highest quality and true to its core qualities, Floating Leaf Wild Rice has obtained and maintained a number of certifications, including being verified by the NON-GMO Project, COR-Kosher certified, meeting the certification requirements for the Global Standard for Food Safety, verified Kamut Khorasan, stipulating that it is a pure ancient khorasan variety of wheat, free of modern wheat and signs of disease contamination.
Floating Leaf Wild Rice has also implemented the Manitoba HACCP Advantage Program, and is certified by the OPAM standards for Canadian / USA import – export agreement.
Floating Leaf Wild Rice offers Pure Canadian Wild Rice (certified organic & gluten free), White Basmati & Wild Rice (gluten free), Brown Basmati & Wild Rice (gluten free), White & Wild Rice (gluten free), Brown & Wild Rice (gluten free), White & Wild Rice with Portobello Mushrooms (gluten free), Brown & Wild Rice with Portobello Mushroom (gluten free), Sprouted Crimson Lentils with Wild Rice & Quinoa (gluten free), Sprouted Black Bean Organic Brown Rice, Sprouted Brown Rice with Split Peas & Quinoa, Artisan Wild Rice Egg Linguine, Artisan Wild Rice Egg Penne, Pancake & Waffle & Muffin Mix (gluten free), Wild Rice & Quinoa Harvest Stuffing (gluten free), and Pure 100% Natural Blueberry Fiber. Under the same umbrella, products are sold under separate lines of Canoe, Oh Canada, and La Verendrye, mainly more basic varieties of wild rice.
So, What is Wild Rice?
The simplest explanation and common misconception would be that wild rice is simply a lesser processed, wild version of rice. However, wild rice seems to be a bit of a misnomer, as it is not directly related to Asian rice, but is rather a blanket term for four species of grasses, which all full under the genus Zizania.
From this grass, the grain is harvested and eaten, largely in North America; the one species of Zizania that is native to China is eaten by the stem as a vegetable. Northern wild rice is found largely in the Great Lakes of North America, and throughout the Boreal Forests. Wild rice grows in shallow water, and is harvested annually. Its history is rich in the cultures of the indigenous cultures of North America, being consumed in a variety of ways, from bird stuffing, to dessert.
It was harvested by canoe, lightly brushing the top of the plant so that the grain drops into the bottom of the canoe while in the water, and while it is largely cultivated in fields in America, in Canada, it is still usually harvested from natural bodies of water.
Is Wild Rice an Alternative to Asian Rice?
Wild rice has a similar size and shape to Asian rice (such as white and brown rice), but a slightly chewier texture than that of the much softer white rice. Wild rice is significantly more flavorful, and has been described as rich and nutty, sometimes smokey. It is being more commonly substituted for Asian rice in dishes that call for the grain, and is finding popularity due to its higher nutritional content.
When compared to white rice, wild rice is lower in calories and fat, and in fact is lower than quinoa, which is sometimes seen as the healthy alternative to rice. Wild rice is a complete protein and contains all essential amino acids, twice the protein of regular rice, and is more rich with B vitamins, phosphorous, potassium, niacin, riboflavin, folate, and thiamine than brown rice, white rice’s healthier brother.
Wild rice is gluten free, sodium free, up to thirty times more rich in antioxidants than white rice, high in fiber for healthy digestion, and as a pseudo grain, can be eaten by diabetics. Rather than ask why substitute white rice with wild rice, maybe the better question is, “why eat white rice at all?”
In a market than understands the need for healthier choices, consumers are starting to reevaluate the need for staples that were once considered indispensable. While there are a great number of options for alternatives to our old favorites, sometimes the favorites don’t need to be replaced entirely, but in the case of rice, with a very similar, but significantly healthier option.
Floating Leaf Wild Rice has been a leader in wild rice for decades for reasons that are best summed up on its own website, “It’s about good judgment, years of experience, with a commitment to excellence”.
