The many uses of Rice

Recently I learned that there are about 40,000 varieties of rice in the world! Some of the types of rice that are produced in the United States are long grain rice, medium grain rice, short grain rice, sweet or waxy rice, aromtaic rice, jasmine rice and many more. Examples of differrent forms of rice include rough rice, brown rice, regular milled white rice, parbroiled rice, and precooked rice. What amazes me of rice is in the variety of ways it is cooked as a savory dish.In many cultures rice is an important part of their meal.They must always have rice when having dinner. rice has become so popular that you could always find it in many restaurant menus. It brings a lot of cultures together.
In the Mexican culture rice is very sifnificant to us. But before talking about in what ways it is significant, I would like to give you a brief background of how it was introduced to Mexico. rice was first introduced to the Mexican culture through the Philippines. The Philippines transported rice to Acapulco. It became so popular that the Spaniards later found tropical climate of Veracruz region of Mexico to be the ideal place to grow rice.
Many might know rice as just simply a savory dish but it is also used in desserts, cakes, vegetable puddings, tamales, atoles, and the most popular drink known in Mexican culture, Horchata. I love Horchata! It's my all time favorite drink. For those who do not know what horchata is, it is a cold drink made of rice, almonds, cinammon, lime zest and sugar. Even though it has a milky look, it is completely dairy free. Horchata has been used to also make flavored horchata ice cream bars. We use rice in almost everything!
Another example of how rice is used is to make Arroz con Leche. Arroz con leche is known as rice pudding. It is a Mexican classic dessert. The way my family makes this dessert is by using the following ingredients: rice, cinammon, sugar, carnation, vnailla extract, raisons, and ground cinnamon on top for an extra topping when it's all done and ready to eat. But not only is rice used to make food, it is also used in traditional Mexican weddings.
In Mexican weddings, it is a tradition that in the day of the wedding the family goes eat breakfast at the bride’s home. After the reception, rice is thrown at the newly weds. It is said that this tradition was first originated by the Aztecs. The reason for this is because in the Mexican culture it is believed that by throwing rice at the newly weds it will keep the evil spirits away. Many people are strong believers when it comes to spirits. Also, by throwing rice it is suppose to bring your marriage good fortune. For these reasons, this is why rice is very significant in the Mexican culture. It is just used in so many ways! .