The term "rice" comes from the Tamil (an ancient language of India and Sri Lanka) word "Arisi." Archeological evidence of rice dates to 10,000 B.C. In fact, rice plays a role in the creation stories of several Asian cultures. Evidence from the Hunan province of China suggests that Early Neolithic groups may have cultivated rice. Cultivation of rice is believed to have begun almost simultaneously in many countries more than 6,500 years ago.
10,000 BC
1600
20th Century
Since the inception of rice
There are more than 140,000 known varieties of rice. All can be categorized into three basic groups - long, medium and short grain.