How to make Alexander the Great rice pilaf

Rice pilaf is a wonderful dish and has been around for a long time (although the rice itself has been around for we don’t know how long). Everyone knows that it is full of carbohydrates that fill and comfort the soul. Turn it into a rice pilaf and you’ll get the delicious warmth of chicken broth cooked in it. It is versatile and there are many recipes. It’s great with chicken…it’s great on its own. Rice has come a long way. In fact, no one really knows how long, because it was cultivated a long time ago.

You can tell, how long ago. Well, put it this way, it has been talked about in the myths of many continents. Images of rice in pottery have been found during archaeological excavations. The great belief is that the domestication of rice began in Thailand, Korat or China. The reason they believe this is because they were all areas with a wide variety of plants and animals that were located near rivers.

About two million years ago, the migration of fauna occurred and with the animals came rice. They traveled to northern China and that’s where it ended. Up there in northern China, there were ideal conditions for growing rice. However, the heartland of rice cultivation was said to be in Southeast Asia. The reason they believe this is because of correspondence between certain groups.

Before rice was cultivated as it is now, rice was grown in the forests under shifting cultivation. It was kind of like growing wild rice. There was also a different Chinese method of watering the soil and transplanting seeds. Soil waterlogging makes the soil less subject to water loss.

At this point rice began to cover all the continents. In fact, the only continent that does not grow rice is Antarctica (as you can imagine, it is quite cold there). In the 16th and 17th centuries, doctors in southern Europe discouraged rice due to outbreaks of malaria. They believed that it was spread by the bad air of the swampy areas (In Europe Mal=evil, and aria=air).

When European settlers came to America in the 1600s, they brought rice and planted it in the south, in what is now North Carolina and South Carolina. East Africans brought even more rice with them when they were brought to America as slaves. After the Civil War, it was grown in Louisiana and Mississippi, although most Americans preferred bread and noodles.

The rice pilaf itself was first discovered in the history of Alexander the Great from correspondence describing his visits to the Persians. It was also served to him during his capture of Marakanda. He brought it from Macedonia and then spread it throughout Eastern Europe. From there he took over the world. The rest is history.

For a moist and warm traditional rice pilaf, try this delicious recipe:

“Alexander the Great Rice Pilaf”*

Ingredients: ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cups chicken broth, ¼ cup chopped onion, and 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice.

1) In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2) Add the rice. Cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add the broth and salt.

3) Heat to boiling, reduce to low. Cover and cook over low heat for 16 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

4) Enjoy your piece of culture with some chicken curry. Hmm!

* Betty Crocker recipe base and I modeled it from there.