Laos is proud to grow and harvest more than 3,000 traditional rice varieties, with colors ranging from black and purple to red and brown, there is a so called aromatic and glutinous rice varieties, too. In Laos, where rice is one of the staple food, it is eaten steamed or boiled with a varieties of food such as meats, vegetables, poultry, and fish, and many more. It is also made into wines.
Between 1995 and 2000, the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) jointly collected rice germplasm in Laos. Among the 13192 samples collected, there are 3,169 distinct variety names. Sometimes, the same variety is called by different names by different ethnic groups, sometimes different varieties have the same name. Lao farmers assign names to traditional varieties that relate to the production ecosystem, endosperm type,and maturity. The name also often indicates a variety's particular morphological features or other unique characteristics.Varieties are also named for plants, flowers, fruits and animals. Resistance to or tolerance for commonly occurring stress factors like drought, floods, lodging, birds, weeds and adaptation to soils are also reflected in some rice variety names
In Laos, there are many traditions and rituals being followed for planting and harvesting and even storing of rice.
Laos is located in Asia. The country is divided into sixteen (16 provinces). It is bordered by Burma to the northeast, Cambodia to the south, China to the north, Thailand to the west, and Vietnam to the east.
Personal Note: I could not resist researching about Rice in Laos, it is very interesting to learn many things about it. This is just the beginning of my research about "rice in Laos". I will add more information about it soon.
Spain is not only home to the largest number of olive trees , this country also offers a wonderful variety - around 260 different types of Olives.
Some of the better-known Olive varieties are:
(1) Manzanilla olives - juicy, green pulp with delicious flavor
(2) Arbequina - noted for its nutty, smoky taste
(3) Empeltre - a beautiful purplish-black
(4) Queen - large, fat, green
Containing absolutely "no cholesterol", they are an excellent source of monounsaturated fat, iron, vitamin E, copper, and dietary fiber.
From now on, instead of crisps (french fries and company) have a snack of Spanish Olives.
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Walkie-Talkies which are made of grilled chicken feet and heads is one of the popular dishes in rural South Africa.
Asparagus has No Fat, contains No Cholesterol and is low in Sodium