Duman: The Green Gold of Pampanga at Butchie’s Recipes

Duman! Duman! Get Some Before It's All Gone!

Imagine a variety of grain that is planted only in a couple of weeks in select rice paddies in only a couple towns in Pampanga then harvested as the cool breeze of the holiday months sweep the rice fields. Processing this grain is a colourful undertaking in itself–from harvesting in early dawn, to winnowing, toasting and pounding to remove the chaff. For every hectare planted with this special variety yields a mere 4.5 cavans of grain while a harvest of the normal variety of rice yields up to 300 cavans.

Due to the limited harvest quantity, which was fortunately spared by the typhoons that hit Central Luzon, the demand for duman is much greater than the supply. However, despite its rather steep price, those who’ve enjoyed it vouch that it is worth every grain. It may be consumed by itself, rather like breakfast cereal, or taken with steaming gatas damulag (carabao milk) or tsokolate de batirol (frothy native chocolate).

Butchie’s Recipes of La Moderna Pampanga along Wilson Street Greenhills shares this prized delicacy in limited quantities to residents of the metropolis. Together with La Moderna’s artisan bakery products as well as other carefully selected food and non-food products from Pampanga, Butchie’s aims to share with everyone the best Pampanga has to offer. Native chocolate and the tsokolatera and baritol are also available.

For more information about duman, please visit http://www.asiarice.org/sections/whatsnew/Philippines136.html and for a taste of this unique delicacy, drop by Butchie's Recipes located at the ground floor of the Health Cube Building, 226 Wilson Street, West Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila. Open 8am-730pm Mondays to Saturdays and for special evening and Sunday occasions upon prior notice. Tel (63 2) 385 0387 or mobile +63 917 844 7593. Email: http://us.mc653.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=butchiesoflamoderna@yahoo.com. Websites: butchiesrecipes.blogspot.com and http://ansongo.multiply.com/