Bet you didn't know about this Red Rice or the Origins & the Story behind it!
You didn't know, did you?
Well, this is the Organic Rakthashali Red Rice.
Rakthashali,is an ancient red rice, with antiquity tracing back to Charaka Samhita. It is a treasured and much valued red rice used since over 3000 years and in consistent use. In the few decades after green revolution the growing & using of Rakthashali red rice had gone down as was the case with most traditional rice varieties.
Since the movement for rice revival began about 15-20 years back , through the Save Our Rice Campaign (which Devi, our co-founder was a team member) and a few other seed saver scientists and campaigns, Rakthashali has been grown by farmers and coming back into popularity again. It is mainly grown in Kerala now.
Bhojanakutuhalam by Raghunath Suri, a scholarly, rare and authentic compilation on food from ancient texts and treatises on Ayurveda, talks about Rakthashali red rice.
Quoting from Bhojanakutuhala page 6-7, "According to Rajanighantu, the rice by the name raktasali is sweet, light, unctuous, strengthening, imparts taste, stimulates the digestive fire and rendered wholesome, treats afflictions of pitta, burning sensation, vata and blood. Among the various species of rice, raktasali is considered the best. It imparts strength and complexion, treats vitiations of the three doshas, improves vision, is diuretic, enhances voice, increases the quantity of semen, cures thirst and fever".
This red rice grown in the short shali season is a delicate plant, which needs the right amount of water. Excessive water can lead to rotting of the plants. A crop of 110 days, this short paddy does have a tendency to lodge making it hard to harvest with machines. The yield of Rakthashali is modest thereby making it a high value rice.
The story of Bio Basics Rakthashali Red rice:
Bio Basics Rakthashali red rice is grown in Wayanad and Kozhikode by two farmer partners Lenish and Jayakrishnan. They are organic farmers, seed conservers and also involved in healthy food preparations... They conserve the seed, save and purify the seed every season and plant this crop every year on their land.
The Rakthashali crop is grown and nourished organically. The rice is harvested, dried and aged for a few months as paddy. Throughout the process no chemicals are used at any stage.
It is freshly hulled in a small neighbourhood mill and reaches Bio Basics with 100% bran, which means that during the hulling process only the outer paddy coating is removed and none of the red bran is removed.
This means that the Rakthashali grain is left intact with zero polishing leaving all the nutrients intact.
About time families buy this red rice for the sheer texture, taste and the tremendous health benefits it brings...