Paro Red Rice

Red rice is the everyday grain of western Bhutan, grown in the terraced paddies of the Paro and Punakha valleys and irrigated by glacier-fed water, and it is a japonica variety with a red bran layer that is only partly milled, so it cooks pink, soft and slightly sticky with a nutty flavour and takes less time than brown rice. It appears at nearly every Bhutanese meal, usually alongside ema datshi. The Paro valley grows it in terraces stepped along the river below the dzong and the monasteries, planted in early summer when the fields are flooded and villagers transplant seedlings by hand, and harvested in autumn when the whole valley turns gold. Walking the paths between the paddies is the way to see it, and small quantities are sold for export.

What you actually see

• Terraced paddies - stepped fields along the valley floor.
• Transplanting - hand planting into flooded fields in early summer.
• The autumn harvest - the valley turning gold before cutting.
• The grain itself - pink cooked rice served with almost every meal.

When to go

June for flooding and transplanting, September and October for the harvest and the gold terraces. Between those the fields are green. Winter leaves stubble and bare terraces.

Honest expectations

This is farmland rather than an attraction; there is no visitor centre or tour, and seeing it means walking the paths between fields. Paddies are private property and walking on the bunds needs care and courtesy. Export quantities are restricted, so buying much to take home is not straightforward.

Nearby

Paro Rinpung Dzong is above the valley; Kyichu Lhakhang lies north.