|
|
News of Jan
3, 2007
Historic Indonesian City offers
Tastes That Last Forever
Surabaya
(Indonesia), Jan 3
Preserving the sensation of taste while enjoying the cuisines of the
world still remains an impossibility. But just one visit to the
historic Indonesian port city of Surabaya will compel food lovers to
find a way to save each and every experience of the tongue.
Surabaya, capital of East Java province, is the second largest
Indonesian city, and one of its most historic sites. Merchant ships
began sailing there centuries ago, bringing new goods and culture
from around the world into the port, the most important of which is
Islam.
But the city is also renowned for introducing the rest of Indonesia
to unique cuisine. First on the list is as shocking as it is
commonplace in the city: mixed vegetables and cow lips. Called 'rujak
cingur', the dish is so unique that Indonesians from all parts
of the country know it is from East Java.
Visitors to Surabaya can find this special dish in almost every part
of the city, from the most expensive restaurant to a street side
food stall. One of the most popular places to grab a plate of 'rujak
cingur' is from the vendors on the historic Embong Blimbing
Street in downtown, who serve it up nightly until 2 a.m.
On this street, you can also find other traditional food such as 'kikil
sapi' (beef tendon), 'soto Madura' (Madurese style soup)
and lamb satay. While you pamper your tongue, street singers with
their guitars will soothe your ears.
'Rujak cingur' consists of fried bean curd, fried tempeh,
rice cake, prawn crackers or krupuk rujak, water spinach, cucumber,
pineapple, and a specific part of a cow's snout, called cingur, in
the East Javanese dialect.
It is covered with a special sauce made of black shrimp paste, fried
peanuts, fish paste, garlic, cucumber juice, and red chillies, which
make the dish hot and spicy.
Diners are advised to eat slowly and take a few deep breaths while
eating. The sensation is both hot from the spices and cooling from
the refreshing fruits.
"I have been selling rujak cingur for four years, continuing
on from my father, who was in the business since 1970," said Bukhori,
a vendor.
Embong Blimbing Street is mainly the turf of traditional food
vendors, and is regularly packed with people looking for great
tastes at cheap prices. A dish of 'rujak cingur' costs only
7,500 rupiah (less than a dollar). But why the cow's snout?
"Basically, Javanese people don't want to waste any food, so they
use every part of the cow," said Bukhori, laughing.
"It may seem weird to many people, but I'm telling you, even
foreigners try 'rujak cingur' when they come to Surabaya
though they don't necessarily need to know the part about the cow's
snout."
DPA
News of Jan
3, 2007
Top |
News |
|
