Despite its name, wild rice is not at all rice but a different grain harvested from aquatic grasses which were historically naturally grown (hence the “wild”) in Canada and the US, but more recently they have also been cultivated in those countries.

Wild rice is a great delicacy enriching monotonous recipes with flavor, fragrance, color and texture such as in salads, soups and pies or mixed with white/brown rice as a side dish. It is lighter in calories than both white and brown rice but higher in protein and fiber. So just go wild with your culinary imagination and start incorporating this healthy grain alternative!

Wild rice was on my menu this week, perfectly complementing with its nutty taste my favorite winter stew (spinach with beef, rice on the side) and the family loved it. I was super excited when my daughter welcomed the dish in her lunchbox AND asked for “Épinard avec riz SAUVAGE” for dinner this evening: 3^rd dinner in a row, that’s a first! (I usually cook in a batch so we normally eat from the same recipe for 2-3 days) To be honest though I think the branding might have had something to do with it as she has been as of late cultivating a fascination with imaginary stories involving the wild! Those mainly revolve around made up stories, which involve a wolf, a witch, a monster, or a half-monster-half-wolf (that’s a double dip in wild!) so knowing her keen imagination she was probably thinking of this edible peace of “wild” as an invitation for her to get a taste of that imaginary world!