Wild rice (Ojibwe: Manoomin; also called Canada rice, Indian rice or 'nIvAra' in Sanskrit, and water oats) are four species of grasses forming the genus Zizania, and the grain that can be harvested from them . The grain was historically gathered and eaten in both North America, India and China. imageWhile now a delicacy in North America, the grain is eaten less in China,[1]:165 where the plant's stem is used as a vegetable. Indian references to wild rice include the Vedic texts such as Rudra Prashna and Narayana Suktam which reference 'nIvAra' or wild rice as being used in important Vedic rituals.
