Vol. 1 No. 1 (2025): Lusong ug Alho
Lusong (mortar) and alho or bayo (pestle) are deeply symbolic of the struggles of Filipino life and the embodied strength of the Filipino to provide food for every Filipino home. Yes, modern technology has encroached on our ways of preparing food, but this tradition and heritage remain an integral part of life in the provinces of the Philippines. Whether you are pounding sun-dried rice pellets and cacao seeds or making nilupak na saging na saba or nilupak na bugas, lusong and bayo will always deliver. All you need is your physical prowess and the joy, presence, and excitement of family members taking turns in pounding what is in the lusong until food is ready to be served.
Lusong is carved from a huge trunk of a tree “hollowed out in the middle and shaped like an inverted trapezoid upon a wider base” (National Museum of the Philippines – Bohol, 2020). Alho or bayo is a long, thick, heavy wooden stick that is used to pound or stamp food produce inside the lusong. Bayo is carved delicately and is smooth to the human hands due to the warmth of its touch. The longer it is used, the smoother it becomes. It doesn’t grate, break, or shatter easily. In the words of Roland Barthes (1957), “wood is a familiar and a poetic substance… it wears out, but it can last a long time,” just like the bayo.
A symbol of the simplicity of life, lusong and bayo are traditional instruments that our ancestors used to process food and prepare tasty and delicious dishes for their families. Easy to make and environmentally friendly. Carved straight from old trunks of trees. Poetic and lasting. Seasoned by time.
A symbol of struggle and resilience, lusong and bayo were, and remain, as economic tools used by our parents and grandparents to prepare nilupak na saging na saba or nilupak na bugas to be sold to the community as a means of earning an income to buy our basic needs and provide food on our tables.
Note: The cover photo is an image owned by the National Museum of the Philippines – Bohol (taken from their Facebook page). The National Museum of the Philippines - Bohol granted permission and/or consent to use this image as the cover page of the maiden issue of Simbolismo. Please contact the National Museum of the Philippines – Bohol if you wish to use this image under their copyright claims.
Published:
2025-08-28
