Rice was unknown to seventh-century Arab conquerors in the marshes

Evidence

We have a rather interesting description from an early Arab source of their first encounter with rice, at the time of the Arab conquest in the seventh century. Some Persian scouts whom an Arab armed force surprised in the marshes took flight, leaving behind them two baskets: one containing dates, and the other what they afterward learned to be unhusked rice. The Arab leader told his men: eat the dates, but leave this other thing, for it might be poison which the enemy has prepared for you. They therefore ate the dates, and avoided the other basket. But while they were eating, one of their horses broke loose and started to eat the rice. They were about to slaughter the horse, so that they could eat it before its flesh was also poisoned, but the horse’s owner told them to wait, and said that he would see to it in due course. … The following morning, finding the horse was still in excellent condition, they lit a fire under the rice and burned off the husks. “And their commander said: pronounce the name of Allah over it and eat. And they ate of it and they found it a most tasty food.” — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 241

Categorization

• CANDY: A lovely small story — a horse accidentally proved rice wasn’t poison to wary Arab conquerors. Good elevator anecdote.
• XREF: The healthy-animal-proof before human consumption motif echoes food-safety folklore from many cultures, and the discovery story has the same charm as the discoverer-of-coffee-by-goats or mangosteen tales.