Rice Pilaf in a box?

Whoever heard of such a thing: rice pilaf in a box? That’s what Rice-a-Roni is -sort of.


When I was a kid, my American friends ate Rice-a-Roni because it was convenient- and American. It had to be; the jingle said it was the San Francisco treat. Their parents worked, so any food that was quick to fix was the way to go. My parents worked, too, but they didn’t buy the stuff; we ate the real thing.

It’s funny, the first time I ever ate Rice-a-Roni was this past summer in San Francisco, at the home of one of our Armenian friends.

“Birth of Rice-A-Roni: The Armenian-Italian Treat,” is the title of a story that ran on NPR (National Public Radio), a while back. I read about this last summer when our friend, Bonnie in Fort Lauderdale, sent us the link to the story. Then, right after my recipe for Rice Pilaf was posted the other day, Doug’s cousin, Margaret in Arizona, sent me the link to the same story. Now, I’ll pass this along to you.

Click here to find out how Rice-a-Roni came to be.