Monday, December 24, 2012

Duman: Harvesting Green Gold

It's December, and once again, a rare harvest is celebrated in the small town of Sta. Rita. The cool December air signals the start of the annual Duman season. The rich rice fields of Pampanga normally yields a bountiful harvest of regular white rice at least three times a year. But the rare green rice often called "green gold", can only be harvested in December, and in such limited quantities.  


A farmer can usually harvest around 300 cavans or sacks of the regular white rice for every hectare, but only around 4 cavans of duman, an extremely low yield. This limited annual harvest adds to the mystique of Duman, driving up its price to as high as thirty to forty times the price per kilo of regular rice. The rarity of this unique green rice makes it a much sought after delicacy, and for those in the know, sourcing such a rare product is almost as tedious as producing duman.




The young kernels of rice that don't fall off the husks are colored green, requiring a delicate and labor intensive process to extract the kernels. And for generations, the process remains unchanged. The soft, chewy grains have a subtle sweetness and nuttiness like no other, and having green gold in December has always been a family tradition. 


Many have their own unique way of enjoying the rare green rice, including elaborate sweet rice cakes. But I've always enjoyed duman in the simplest and purest way, with a rich, thick cup of hot Spanish chocolate.


Simply add a few hefty spoonfuls of green rice to a cup of hot chocolate, and then, sit back and wait for at least ten minutes. And this is the hardest part, but definitely worth the wait. The soft, young grains absorb the rich chocolate, and slowly expands. And then, its ready. A spoonful of duman then bursts with the rich chocolate flavor, enhanced by the natural nutty and chewy texture of the young grains. And duman just makes every Christmas a little more special.

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21 comments:

  1. Hi, thank you for sharing the interesting topic. This is the first time I see this green rice.

    Your mug of green rice with chocolate look interesting. Very healthy and appetizing, don't mind to have one, please!

    Wishing you a very Merry Christmas. Happy holiday and have a great week ahead.

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    1. Hi Amelia, here's wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

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  2. Beautiful color of the rice. This must be rare. Merry Christmas, Gerry.

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    1. Hi Jen, wishing you and your family all the best this Christmas!

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  3. Duman...this is something new to me. Hope I will get to taste them one day.
    Merry Christmas!

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  4. Interesting. Makes me want to cook my tablea tonight. :P


    http://www.dekaphobe.com

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    1. hey mich, it's a rare treat, great with with hot chocolate! Merry Christmas mich!

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  5. Wow, that green rice is gorgeous! I wish I had some to make a pilaf.

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    1. Hi Cucina49, thanks for stopping by and wishing you and your family a very ha[[y new year!

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  6. Okay wow that is seriously cool... Would love to try this green rice one day, esp since I'm a huge rice eater (totally asian through and through). Btw, Happy New Year to you, Gerry! Thanks for a great year of sharing your life and meals through this blog and cheers to 2013!

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    1. Hey Winston, thanks and happy new year to you too buddy!

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  7. Hi, drop by to wish you Happy New Year and wish you all the best in the coming new year.

    Have a great week ahead,regards.

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    1. Hi Amelia, thanks, and wishing you all the best for the new year!

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  8. Wow. I haven't heard of this thing before.

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    1. Hi Miranda, you should give this a try next season, thanks for stopping by!

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  9. I've never heard of anything like this before, great idea.

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    1. Hi Caroline, the young green grains really go well with the chocolate, great to hear from you!

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  10. I've heard of the Duman Festival in Pampanga. Is it where you got these? I'm trying to recall in my childhood days if I was able to try this rare delicacy, maybe in a form of "suman." (sticky rice rolled in banana leaf) So, I would definitely be eager to try one myself.

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    1. Hi Joy, yes, this is from the Duman festival from Pampanga, you should try it with thick, hot chocolate, it's something else! Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. Hi, Just found your article when I was searching for DUMAN. As a kid, I remember eating a small amount of this either raw or with a bit of condense milk. What I remember back then is that it was really expensive that is why it was on a rare occasion to see this when we visit our province Sta. Rita, Pampanga. Now I'm craving for this one and I hope to visit my relatives there on December. =)

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    1. Hi, this alone is another great reason to come back home back in December! Thanks for visiting my blog!

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