From ancient China's mountains and paddies to today's chic Western restaurants to the homesteads of the Caribbean, rice binds the world together. Here is the ultimate, authoritative, sumptuous guide to the genus Oryza: its history, lore, botany, and cultivation; important culinary varieties; and rice products from flour to pasta and vinegar to wine; cooking techniques for short, medium, and long grains; and seasoning and coloring, all the way to the bright red, green, and black rices of Asia and the Mediterranean. From the wok comes flied rice topped with a crunchy vegetable curry or spicy fish. The pilaf of Asia and the Balkans segues into Italy's risotto, maybe with eel or zucchini flowers, and then into a Spanish paella fragrant with saffron and a dozen more ingredients.