Minnesota Wild Rice

One of my favorite foods of Minnesota (besides Walleye) is wild rice. It puts plain old white and brown rice to shame. It has a wonderful nutty, earthy flavor. I had forgotten how tasty it was until I came back to Minnesota

Wild rice – an aquatic grass that bears a resemblance to the edible grain – has been the center of the Ojibway Indian diet and culture for centuries. It’s considered a gift from the Creator, according to Thomas Vennum, who wrote the book on it. According to legend, the Ojibway followed a prophecy to find the place where the food grows on the water, which was around Lake Superior, particularly in Minnesota.

The Ojibway gather wild rice by hand. Ricers went out two to a canoe, one with a forked push pole, and the other with a pair of wooden flails used to knock the rice into the boat. To protect the fields, Minnesota restricts the harvesting season and regulates boats and tools. Tribal harvesters manage themselves, and reservation waters are off limits to other ricers.