Celebrating Wild Rice

Known as manoomin in Anishinaabemowin, wild rice grows across several of our provinces. It’s technically not rice but a whole grain that’s part of a grass found in shallow waters. This ingredient varies in colour due to processing, but it’s usually deep brown, with a nutty flavour. Harvested in early fall, wild rice is a staple traditionally used by the Anishinaabek to get through winter. People boil it and mix it with wild game — or blueberries for a sweet treat. Each family and community enjoys it in their own way. 

In the 1920s, the federal government approved a hydro-dam project (without consent) that led to flooding in my community of Lac Seul First Nation in northwestern Ontario, which impacted the land, homes, gardens and water levels. Ultimately, wild rice beds were damaged. Still, my family practised traditional harvesting methods in the 1970s on the shores of Lac Seul. Gathering required two people via canoe: one to manage navigation, and the other to knock the rice carefully into the boat using a wooden stick. Once it was harvested, the rice was parched over a wood fire. 

My grandfather processed rice by putting on a brand-new pair of moccasins and stepping into a pan filled with parched rice, stomping off the husks — a technique known as “dancing on the rice.” The women of the community would also tie handfuls of parched rice in a dish towel, then bang the towel on a hard surface to loosen the kernels. Harvesting rice was labour-intensive! 

For northern First Nations families, wild rice has always been a key source of nourishment, but it’s more than that. Harvesting is a means of socializing in community and it’s a way of teaching skills and passing down cultural values to the next seven generations. 

This ingredient has made a comeback thanks to community-led revitalization initiatives run over the past two decades that support harvests, regeneration and preparation. Wild rice harvest gatherings are held annually across First Nations communities in Ontario and within the Great Lakes. Plus, several First Nation tourism enterprises offer workshops. 

Indigenous chefs and culinary artists continue to create innovative wild rice dishes that honour the grain’s cultural significance. Wild rice, like the Anishinaabek, is resilient. 

Recipe below...

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Prep time: 10 minutes | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 small boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• ½ cup wild rice
• 4 leaves fresh sage
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add carrots, celery and onion, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add chicken and garlic; cover with broth. Add wild rice, sage, rosemary and thyme; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; let simmer until rice is tender, about 40 minutes. 
3. Turn off heat. Remove chicken from pot; with 2 forks, shred. Return to pot; stir. 
4. Discard sage, rosemary and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.