Black rice

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For the Valencian dish, see Arroz negro.

Black rice is one of several black-colored heirloom plants producing rice variants such as Indonesian Black Rice, forbidden rice, or wild rice. High in nutritional and medicinal value, forbidden rice is rich in iron and considered a blood tonifier. Unlike other black rice from Asia, it is not glutinous or rough. This grain is high in fiber and has a deep, nutty taste. The deep color of black forbidden rice, and the deep purple color when cooked, suggests the presence of phytonutrients. It has a relatively high mineral content (including iron) and, like most rice, supplies several important amino acids.

It was enjoyed at the court of the ancient Chinese emperors for its nutritional properties. Most references say that it was reserved for the emperor’s table, and since it was probably shared with the emperor's consorts, as well as other members of his family and the court at his discretion it was thus called "forbidden rice."

In China, noodles made from black rice have recently begun being produced.[1]