Rizari, lizari, paint, red wood dye, rubia or dye, madder root, (Rubia tinctorum). ID: 341-41

Rizari or alizari or dye ( Rubia tinctorum ) is a native shrub that grows in southern Europe and southwest Asia.

Its official name is ruby ​​or rubia or dye (Rubia tinctorum).

Rizari was especially useful in the past, because from its root was produced a red dye, suitable for dyeing yarns and fabrics.

Vinegar and salt are also used in the mixture, because they help to fix the paint. In this way the yarns and fabrics, which are dyed, acquire a bright red, indelible color,

It is a plant known for its pigment properties since ancient times. Fabrics dyed with the dye produced by the plant have been found in tombs in Egypt and Corinth.

In Thessaly, in Ambelakia, the first agricultural cooperative was created from the 18th century, which was engaged in the dyeing of threads from rizari, which conquered the European markets.

These products were sought after in Greece and abroad and were exported in large quantities to various European countries.

These activities of the inhabitants of Ambelakia, Thessaly, resulted in the accumulation of large funds and the prosperity of the people of the area.

To this day, the old mansions of prominent families of Ambelakia are preserved, which are witnesses of the wealth and prosperity of the families of the area, which was the result of the cultivation of the rice plant and the exploitation of the products produced from it.

Rizari dye has alizarin as its main ingredient.

The use of rice was abandoned when the chemical industry produced the aniline compound that gave the same effect.

Easter eggs painted with rice, apart from their unique color, are also indelible.

They do not paint the hands, while the paint does not penetrate inside them.

The result is a deep red color.

Soak the rice from the evening in water and vinegar, in the morning we put the eggs and boil them all together.