5Rice is the staple food for more than half of the world's population, but it is often taken for granted and regarded as a common cereal crop. As a rice-eater and a botanist, the author delves deep into the fascinating history and biology of rice, and discusses the past, present, and future of rice as an essential cereal. The Story of Rice includes a discussion of the cuisines that have been built around rice in different parts of the world, as well as the cultural legacies and heritage left by thousands of years of rice farming around the globe. Rice is life!