36:T459,Though rice might not feature in a hit 1990s Vanilla Ice rap, this grain tops the charts in other ways: it's the staple food for more than half the global population, and it's grown by more farmers than any other crop on Earth, from Japan to West Africa to Italy's Po River valley. Rice is so central that it's been used as currency, embedded itself in language, and formed the basis of beloved dishes, from sushi to jollof to risotto. But this adaptable grass has two features that have molded rice cultures and directed the grain's destiny: it can grow in an aquatic environment, but it requires cooperation to cultivate. In this episode, we explore how rice's relationship to water and community have shaped stories all over the world, from Japanese-American rice growers in California's drought-prone San Joaquin valley to Bangladeshi farmers facing flooding from climate change. Plus: could taking rice out of water not only build a better future for African-American rice farmers in the American South, but save the planet in the process? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices37:T512,

For a thousand years, Italy’s cities have been magnets for everything that makes for great eating: ingredients, talent, money and power. Italian food is city food, and telling its story means telling the story of the Italians as a people of city dwellers.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis meets John Dickie, author of Delizia! The Epic History of Italians and their Food, in which he traces how the evolution of cities and trade in the Middle Ages, as well as taste and creativity, combined to make the world’s favourite cuisine.

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38:T4e8,This week we travel to the wondrous country that is China!For more than half of the people on earth, rice is life. Every third person on earth eats rice every day in one form or another. It is the grain that has shaped the history, culture, diet, and economy of BILLIONS of people of Asia for hundreds and hundreds of years! This Taoist legend is all about the importance of rice and how a greedy and wasteful man was taught the greatest lesson of his life by the person he least expected! What a beautiful story! Thank you for the most beautiful music!https://freesound.org/people/neolein/Please Subscribe, rate and review!Bonus Material available weekly on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/landofnodlearning?fan_landing=trueJoin us on Instagram!https://www.instagram.com/landofnodlearningJoin our Facebook page!https://www.facebook.com/landofnodlearningListen on Apple podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/land-of-nod-kids-stories/id1539956312Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/69uOzUlxEwNaoCnkMV92OUListen on Castboxhttps://castbox.fm/channel/Land-of-Nod-%7C-Kid's-stories-id3807844?country=ieSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/landofnodlearning?fan_landing=true) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.39:T890,

Italian Rice: Long History of a Short Gr...