James A. Duke. Handbook of Energy Crops. Uses Wild rice was a staple food of American Indians and is a food for wild birds and waterfowl, especially mallard, bobolink, blackbirds, and Carolina rail. It has been a luxury food to compliment wild game dishes for many years when only harvested from lakes and rivers, but during the last fifteen years, since its cultivation, wild rice has become more plentiful and can be found in many stores.
Wild rice has potential in utilizing current waste swamplands in northern climates.
Today, because of its increased abundance, wild rice is used in a variety of ways. It is used in place of potatoes, either alone or mixed with rice, and in soups and salads, even deserts. Chemistry Proximate analyses by Wang et al. The proteins were rich in glutelins and essential amino acids, especially lysine and methionine. Withycombe et al.