The “VALLU”

 The “VALLU” (Green and Tender Grains) :  Our Unique and  In Season Delicacy

…………   THE “VALLU”…………

                Finished product of vallu                                                 Ready to eat

The ricefield owned by Mr. and Mrs, Jun Haclao at Bayninan, Banaue.

The  green and tender palay       Selected grains intended for vallu

                Selected  grains for vallu                                                  Ripen palay

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:

The “vallu” marks the harvest season in Banaue. It is a precious  leisure snack enjoyed by  Banaueans during the harvest season. This delicacy emits the aroma of tender Banaue native  palay that one couldn’t resist when smelled its unique scent.

Performing the whole process to come up with the finished product, preserves the Banaue custom on sharing and team working among families as well as children, youth and adults in the neighborhood.

At present, because of its unique taste and aroma, people in our community would process and sell it to others as well as to local and foreign tourist to augment their income.

This topic is  chosen   to encourage each Banauean to preserve the rice terraces from which  the palay is grown and to preserve the Tinawon Rice Palay.

Methodology:

The Processes of making the vallu……..

         Separating ripen paly from tender ones                  Manual milling

             Milled green and tender palay                            Green palay toasted in a vat

Pounding the toasted  palay to remove the husks

The finished product………..vallu….. rare and in season delicacy…..

The working team research on how to improve the production of the “Tinawon” native palay from which the vallu is derived and to enhance the processing of “vallu” to augment the daily income of families as well as members of organizations who employ themselves in the selling of vallu.

The researchers identified the topic to study and met on a scheduled day to plan and schedule activities in order to come up with an accurate result. They identified the skilled and knowledgeable people to contact the venue and the materials they needed for the  processing and documenting the said study.

The researchers coordinated  with a couple who owned a rice field at Bayninan, Banaue on the date of their harvest then went  with them and  took the pictures and videos of the harvesters for documentation. The researchers focused  on the process of harvesting the green  and tender palay  purposely for making the “vallu”.The researchers patiently waited for the harvesters to go home that evening and witnessed the actual way on how they processed the “vallu” until they came up with the finished  product. Digicam and  videocam were used to capture the harvesting and processing event  including the materials used.

Expected Output:

Industrious farmers harvesting the ripen palay

The palay for drying up

The carrier of palay from the field to the house of the owner

*  To let the people  in the  community recognize the benefits they avail from the processing of “ vallu”

*  To  encourage  farmers to increase their  palay production.

*  To recognize the significance of preserving the “Tinawon” palay.

*  To inspire Banauean families to preserve their ricefield heritage and to inculcate  in them the love of manual labor as well as the value of working and sharing.

*  To promote the “ vallu” production to uplift the economic status  of the  people in the  community.

The “vallu” is made from the  green and tender palay.The best of this taste comes from the rice variety of “Tinawon” Ifugao native palay.

During the harvest season, men and women are patient enough  to cut both the golden ripen palay and the green and tender ones separately.

To separate the ripen palay from the  green ones, one has to cut the palay stalk with the hand sicke and insert it in between the thumb and point finger of the left hand. Do the same with the green ones then insert them between the ring and tall finger. When a  handful of the ripen and greenpalay has been cut, they are  bundled separately using gumamela barks.

In the evening when the harvesters are home,the children would separate the green palay grains from tha palay straws(mill) using matured coconut shell splits cut according to desired sizes.

The milled green palay  is now  ready to be toasted in a vat for spacious stirring and  uniform toasting using a long handled wooden laddle.When the palay looks all white it is taken out from the vat and transferred to the winnower to let it cool so that the rice husks will not  stick to the green grains when pounded.

The “vallu” is now ready for pounding on a stone or wooden mortar and a wooden pestle. As soon as the rice husks appear, the grains are  winnowed then pounded again  until only the  green grains  are left.  From the winnower, kids, youth and adults share and enjoy the wonderful taste of the vallu.

When the vallu harvest is quite a plenty, it is packed for sale. Buyers would flock to the selling stall because of its  soft and unique taste.