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 Rice is the world's oldest crop. There are two main types: the rice that is grown in Asia, or "Oryza Sativa", and that which is grown in Africa, or "Oryza Glaberrima". The origins of rice have been debated for some time. The first written records of rice trace back to a rice planting decree issued by a Chinese Emperor around 2800 BC. Later rice consumption spread around the world and was quickly assimilated into the diets of the people of Central Asia, the Mediterranean, and eventually the US and South America.
Rice in Thailand
 Over half the world's population eats rice, and around 90% of it is consumed in Asia. When Asian people say "eat rice", it means "have a meal", and this refers to the age-old tradition of eating rice in Asian countries. Similar expressions developed for example in Chinese, where "shi fan" carries this meaning, and in Thai, where people say "kin khao".
In Thailand people commonly eat "khao chao", especially in the center and the South of the country. This is rice like Thai jasmine rice and white rice that is absorption-cooked and not sticky. In other areas "khao neeo", which is Thai sweet rice or Thai sticky rice, is more common. The history of Thai rice records that the sweet rice originated in the Northeast of Thailand and has been a staple for people in the North, Northeast and Lao for the last 5,000 years.
First Rice in Thailand
First use of rice in Thailand can be traced back to some 5,500 years ago (about 3,500 BC.). This was the result of the research of three Japanese scientists, Tayada Watabe, Tomoya Akihama and Osamu Kinoshita, who found the husks of Thai rice in the bricks at 108 archeological sites in 39 provinces all over Thailand. The studies indicated that during the 5th-14th century, there were three sizes of rice grain: the large type, the round type (short grain) and the slender type (long grain). Only two types of rice grain now remain in Thailand. The round type in the North and the Northeast; the slender type in the Central Plain and the South. The large type is extinct. Today Thailand has a large variety of rice. The fragrant or aromatic rice called "Kao Dawk Mali 105" is used to produce the best selling Thai jasmine rice. Other excellent varieties from breeding are: RD6 (glutinous rice), RD15, RD21, RD23, Phitsanulok 60-1, Suphanburi 60, Chainat 1, Luengpateaw 123 and many more. Thailand is still constantly upgrading the quality of rice and improving rice farming technologies.
Thailand - the Leading Rice Producer
Thailand has long been a major rice producer in the region and rice has long been the main staple of Thai people. Therefore rice growing areas have spread all over country.
The Center of Thailand, where the Chao Phraya River flows down through central Thailand and into the Gulf of Thailand, is the most fertile region of the country. In the past most of the Thai jasmine rice came from here and it is still an important production area - unlike the South, where only little rice of this variety has ever been grown.
The North and Northeast, is the area where sticky or glutinous rice has been cultivated for a long time. Culturally and linguistically these two regions are closely related to neighboring Laos, where most of the rice grown and consumed is sticky rice. Today most of the best quality Thai jasmine rice comes from the Northeast.
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