African rice

African rice is an annual grass about 1 to 1.5 metres tall that closely resembles Asian rice, but its panicle has few secondary branches and its grains are usually reddish-brown. The husked kernels are slender to medium, with a red or brown bran layer, and the cooked rice has a firm, nutty and slightly earthy character.

The plant is tolerant of poor soils, flooding and drought, and its dense leaves shade out weeds well. Grains shatter easily and break more during milling than Asian rice, and yields are lower. It is sold as whole-grain or lightly milled rice in West Africa and in specialty markets elsewhere.

Oryza glaberrima was domesticated from the wild African species Oryza barthii in the inland delta of the Niger River in what is now Mali, probably around 2000 to 3000 years ago. It was cultivated across West Africa, in floodplains, mangrove swamps, uplands and deepwater areas, and farmers developed many local varieties.

The species name glaberrima is Latin for very smooth, referring to the smooth leaf and hull surfaces that distinguish it from Asian rice, Oryza sativa. The word rice itself comes through Old French and Italian from Greek, ultimately from an Asian source.

African rice was a major crop long before Asian rice arrived. Communities in the Niger delta and along the coast of Senegal, Guinea and Sierra Leone built sophisticated systems for growing it, including tidal-water cultivation in mangrove regions, and the grain carried ritual and social meaning in many societies. Portuguese traders later brought Asian rice, and in the 20th century, Asian varieties replaced much African rice because of their higher yields.

Some historians, most notably Judith Carney, have argued that African knowledge of rice cultivation contributed to the establishment of rice plantations in the Americas, including the Carolina lowcountry, where enslaved West Africans brought skills in growing and processing the crop. This interpretation is influential, though scholars continue to debate details and the relative role of African and Asian varieties.

In the 1990s, plant breeders at the West Africa Rice Development Association, now AfricaRice, crossed African and Asian rice to create the New Rice for Africa, NERICA, lines that combine hardiness with higher yield. Conservation of landraces of Oryza glaberrima remains important as farmers abandon traditional varieties, and gene banks hold collections for future breeding.

The grain is cooked like other rice as a staple, in boiled rice, porridge, jollof-style dishes and pounded or fermented preparations. In West Africa, it is used in ceremonial dishes and offerings, and brewed into beer in some regions.

Breeders use African rice as a source of resistance to drought, pests, iron toxicity and weed competition, and it is crossed with Asian rice in programmes to improve crops across Africa and beyond. Because it tolerates flooding and poor soils, farmers also plant it as a safety crop in marginal paddies where other rice varieties struggle.

Like other whole-grain rice, red-bran African rice supplies complex carbohydrates, fibre, B vitamins and minerals, with more of these retained than in polished white rice. There are few clinical studies specific to this species, and benefits are those expected from whole grains in general. Rice grown in some regions can accumulate arsenic, so variety in staples is sensible.