Black rice varieties have been growing in China for more than 10,000 years, but the rare rice was reserved exclusively for emperors and royalty. u003ca href=u0022https://modernfarmer.com/2015/10/what-is-black-rice/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eA study was done on the 21 types of black riceu003c/au003e and researchers found that all forbidden rice is descended from a mutation in Japanese rice, which was thought to be cultivated into the forbidden rice we know and love today. Nowadays it has become a foodie fixture, replacing humdrum white or jasmine rice for an interesting twist on the starch staple. The u003cstrongu003edark color of forbidden rice comes from the antioxidant anthocyaninu003c/strongu003e, which also gives eggplants and blueberries their dark hues.