SPEKKO

The first documented account of rice was by a Chinese emperor about 2,800 BC and it continues to be an integral part of Chinese life and cuisine. This is probably why the Chinese word for rice is the same as the word for food, and instead of asking, “How are you?” they ask “Have you had your rice today?”

But rice has made its mark around the world, not only in China. The Thais say, “Come eat rice,” when they call their families for dinner and is also the first food a new Indian bride offers her husband. Furthermore, in the cold lands of the north, the Finns count the number of rice grains in the bride’s hair to predict how many children they’ll have.

Rice is also a symbol of life and fertility, which is why, in some parts of the world, it's thrown as confetti at weddings.