Name: 從野草到主食：水稻如何改變世界飲食 (How Did Rice Become a Staple Crop? | Delishtory)
Uploaded: 2025-11-13T21:01:10.000Z
Duration: 8 min 5 s

That's a popular saying in many parts of Asia, and I for one, agree.

這句話在亞洲很多地方都很流行，我個人也非常同意。

程度副詞

After all, it provides 20% of the entire world's caloric intake and is central to so many cuisines around the world.

畢竟，它提供了全球20%的熱量攝取，也是世界各地許多料理的核心。

So how exactly did rice become such an important food?

那麼，米飯究竟是如何成為如此重要的食物的呢？

And how did this history shape the way we grow and eat rice today?

而這段歷史又是如何形塑我們種植和食用米飯的方式的呢？

A staple crop for over half the world, rice is a cereal grain, meaning that it's a seed cultivated from a species of grass.

今天，作為超過一半世界人口的主食，米飯是一種穀物，也就是說，它是從一種草本植物培養出來的種子。

Rice plants can grow anywhere from 3ft all the way to 16ft in height.

水稻植株的高度可以從3英尺長到16英尺。

When rice seeds are harvested, they're dehusked to remove the outer hull, which isn't edible.

收穫稻米種子時，會去除外殼，因為外殼是不可食用的。

What's left at that point is what we know of as brown rice.

剩下那個階段的就是我們所知的糙米。

It's brown because it's still covered in bran.

它呈現褐色，是因為它仍然覆蓋著麩皮。

To remove the layers of bran, the rice is then polished until what's left is the white rice that you're probably most familiar with.

為了去除這些麩皮層，稻米會被拋光，直到剩下你可能最熟悉的白米。

White rice is less nutritious than brown rice, but is also easier to digest and has a longer shelf life.

白米比糙米營養價值較低，但是也比較容易消化，而且保存期限更長。

There are also other varieties of rice that are deep tones of purple, black, and red.

還有其他品種的稻米，有深紫色、黑色和紅色。

But polished white rice is by far the most popular form of rice around the world.

不過，拋光過的白米是全世界最受歡迎的米飯形式。

The history of rice cultivation is a subject of study and debate,

水稻種植的歷史是一個研究和爭論的課題，但是

tbut today, most experts agree that the story of domesticated rice first began in China around 9,000 years ago,

今天大多數專家都同意，馴化稻米的故事大約在九千年前始於中國，

specifically, in the Yangtze River Valley.

From China, it first spread southward and eastward to other parts of Asia,

從中國開始，它首先向南和向東擴散到亞洲其他地區，然後

and eventually westward through the Silk Road and maritime trade routes along the Red Sea and Mediterranean.

最終經由絲綢之路以及紅海和地中海沿岸的海上貿易路線向西傳播。

This species of rice is often referred to as Asian rice,

這個品種的稻米常被稱為亞洲稻，但

but it's more formally known as Oryza sativa.

It accounts for most of the rice produced today.

這是現今大多數稻米生產的來源。

But it's not the only species of domesticated rice.

但這並非唯一被馴化的稻米品種。

While Oryza sativa was spreading across Asia, an entirely species of rice was being domesticated in Africa.

當 Oryza sativa 傳播到亞洲各地時，另一個品種的稻米也在非洲被馴化。

Experts believe that this species, known as Oryza glaberrima,

專家認為，這個品種，也就是非洲栽培稻，

was first domesticated about 3,000 years ago in the inner Niger Delta in modern-day Mali,

大約在三千年前首次在現今馬利的內陸尼日河三角洲被馴化，

although more recent studies suggest that regions further west also played an important role.

不過近期的研究顯示，更西邊的地區也扮演了重要的角色。

When the Portuguese began colonizing Africa, they brought Asian rice to the continent,

當葡萄牙人開始殖民非洲時，他們將亞洲稻帶到了這個大陸，

and over time, it began to supplant African rice production, most likely because it provided a higher crop yield.

隨著時間推移，它開始取代非洲稻米生產，最可能的原因是它提供了更高的產量。

Today, Oryza glaberrima only accounts for a small percentage of rice produced in Africa,

如今，非洲栽培稻只佔非洲稻米產量的一小部分，

but it remains an important ritual crop for followers of Awasena, the traditional religion of the Jola people.

但它仍然是 信徒重要的儀式作物，Awasena 是 Jola 人傳統的宗教。

When compared to Oryza sativa, Oryza glaberrima is described as being more aromatic and having a nuttier flavor.

和水稻相比，非洲栽培稻被認為香氣更濃鬱，帶有堅果風味。

Evidence also points to the domestication of a third species of rice in the Amazon region of South America.

證據也顯示，在南美洲亞馬遜地區也馴化了第三種稻米。

But this species is no longer around today.

但這個品種現在已經不存在了。

所以我們知道稻米是如何被馴化的。

But why did rice become such a big staple for so many people around the globe?

但為什麼稻米會成為全球許多人如此重要的主食呢？

Although it thrives in tropical climates, it can be grown in both upland and lowland regions as long as it receives enough water.

雖然它在熱帶氣候中生長得最好，但只要有足夠的水，它可以在高地和低地地區種植。

Rice also has a high yield potential, meaning it can produce way more food per acre than many other crops.

稻米也有很高的產量潛力，這表示它每英畝的產量遠高於許多其他作物。

And it's high in calories and other nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, and iron.

而且它富含卡路里和其他營養素，像是鎂、磷和鐵。

It's also shelf-stable and can be stored for long periods of time, which is massive for food security.

它也很耐儲存，可以長時間保存，這對糧食安全來說非常重要。

Dry white rice in particular, can be kept indefinitely as long as it's stored correctly.

特別是乾燥的白米，只要儲存得當，就能無限期保存。

Today, when we talk about rice, we're mostly talking about Oryza sativa,

今天我們說的稻米，大多是指水稻，

which can generally be broken down into two sub groups - Japonica and indica.

一般可以抽成兩種：粳稻和秈稻。

Japonica rice is rounder, thicker and stickier.

粳稻的米粒比較圓、比較粗，而且黏性較高。

Think sushi rice and arborio rice, used in risotto.

像是壽司米和義大利燉飯用的 Arborio 米。

Most indica rice is long grain or medium grained, like basmati or jasmine.

大部分的秈稻米是長米或中長米，例如 basmati 米或茉莉香米。

This rice is fluffy when cooked and is perfect for pilaf or biryani.

這種米煮起來鬆鬆的，非常適合做香料飯或印度香飯。

Well, the name can be a bit of a misnomer.

The wild rice you find in stores technically isn't rice at all.

你在商店裡看到的野米，嚴格來說根本不是稻米。

It's an entirely different grass species called Zizania palustris.

它是一種完全不同的草本植物，叫做沼生菰。

This grain is native to North America and historically has played a crucial role in the diets and cultural practices of the Anishinaabe people, including the Ojibwe.

這種穀物原產於北美，在歷史上對Anishinaabe族人（包括Ojibwe族）的飲食和文化習俗扮演了關鍵角色。

The Ojibwe still harvest truly wild Zyxania by hand in lakes and rivers.

Ojibwe族人至今仍會在湖泊和河流中手工採集真正的野生沼生菰。

But most wild rice today is farmed on paddy fields as part of large scale commercial farming efforts.

但現今大多數的野米是在大型商業化耕作的稻田裡種植的。

And this is what you'll find in stores labeled as wild rice.

這也是你在商店裡會看到標示為野米的。

That being said, there are plenty of true wild rices that are naturally occurring around the world.

也就是說，世界上還有許多天然存在的真正野米。

In fact, scientists are hoping that these wild cultivars can help with increasing the sustainability of rice farming.

事實上，科學家們希望這些野生的栽培品種能幫助提高稻米耕作的可持續性。

In addition to the two domesticated species of rice that we've been discussing,

除了我們一直在討論的兩種栽培稻米，

there are 24 other naturally occurring species of rice that are currently being held at the International Rice Gene Bank.

國際稻米基因庫目前還保存著另外24種天然存在的稻米品種。

The Gene Bank holds the largest collection of rice samples from around the world.

這個基因庫收藏了來自世界各地最大量的稻米樣本。

但收集稻米種子究竟有什麼幫助呢？

Well, since most rice produced globally is from the same species, Oryza sativa.

嗯，因為全球生產的大部分稻米都來自同一個品種水稻。

There is very little genetic diversity in the rice that we grow.

我們種植的稻米基因多樣性非常少。

This means that most of our rice faces the same intolerance to pests, diseases, and environmental changes.

這意味著我們大部分的稻米都面臨同樣的蟲害、疾病和環境變遷耐受性問題。

It also means that the rice we grow demands similar amounts of water, and that is a problem.

這也表示我們種植的稻米需要類似的水量，這就是個問題。

Rice occupies over 11% of the world's cropland and consumes over a third of global irrigation water.

稻米佔全球耕地面積的11%以上，並消耗全球超過三分之一的灌溉用水。

The flooding used in traditional rice farming also contributes to around 12% of human caused methane emissions.

傳統稻米耕作使用的淹水方式也導致了人類造成的甲烷排放量約佔12%。

It's estimated that by 2050, there will be a 50% growth in demand for water worldwide across all industries,

據估計，到2050年，全球各產業對水的需求將成長50%，

risking water shortages and threatening our food supplies.

這將導致缺水危機並威脅我們的糧食供應。

There are a variety of methods that can help address these issues, including new technologies that help mitigate unnecessary water usage.

有各種方法可以幫助解決這些問題，包括能減少不必要用水的新技術。

But many scientists think that seed banks will play a crucial role in increasing food security and crop sustainability.

但許多科學家認為，種子庫在提高糧食安全和作物永續性方面將扮演關鍵角色。

There are even varieties of rice that can thrive in salty water.

甚至還有一些稻米品種能在鹽水中茁壯成長。

By domesticating new varieties of rice that are more adaptable to different environments,

透過馴化更能適應不同環境的新稻米品種，

these scientists hope that rice can remain a delicious and nutritious staple around the world for generations to come.

這些科學家希望稻米能在未來幾代人中，持續成為全球美味又營養的主食。

There are so many rice dishes around the world, it's impossible to even begin to list them all in this video.

全世界有這麼多種米食料理，要在這支影片裡全部列出來根本不可能。

But this list, even if it's small, can hopefully begin to give you an idea of just how popular rice really is.

不過，這個小小的列表，希望能讓你開始對米飯有多受歡迎有點概念。

There's tahdig in Iran, putu in India, wache in Ghana, nasi lemak in Malaysia,

伊朗有塔迪格 (tahdig)，印度有普圖 (putu)，迦納有瓦奇 (wache)，馬來西亞有椰漿飯 (nasi lemak)，

arancini in Italy, bibimbap in Korea, congee throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia,

義大利有炸飯糰 (arancini)，韓國有拌飯 (bibimbap)，東亞和東南亞各地有粥 (congee)，

還有西非的喬洛夫飯 (jollof rice)。

Then there's the creole and Cajun classics like etouffee and gumbo.

還有像燉菜 (etouffee) 和秋葵濃湯 (gumbo) 這類克里奧爾和卡津的經典菜餚。

And you can find arroz con pollo all over Latin America.

在拉丁美洲各地，你都能找到雞肉飯 (arroz con pollo)。

And don't forget about the many forms rice can take.

而且別忘了米飯還有這麼多種不同的樣貌。

There's rice cakes like mochi in Japan and biko in the Philippines.

有像日本的麻糬 (mochi) 和菲律賓的米糕 (biko) 這樣的米糕，還有

韓國的燒酒 (soju) 這類的米酒。

Horchata in Mexico is usually made from rice as well.

墨西哥的歐洽塔 (horchata) 通常也是用米做的。

I could go on for hours, but you get the picture.

我還可以說好幾個小時，但你們大概都懂了。

那大家最喜歡的米飯吃法是什麼呢？

And which varieties of rice are staples in your pantry?