Raffles
Papeda

Who does not know this food. Typical food from the east that must be tried if visiting one of the eastern regions of Indonesia. The name of this food is papeda. As a person who is visiting one of the eastern regions of Indonesia, I also really want to enjoy this special dish. But since arriving in Halmahera my friends and I have not found any papeda. The last day of our stay is hopefully we can find it and try it.

It seems our wish will soon be realized. Mr. Rolan who always knew what we wanted turned out to have ordered aunts in the kitchen to cook papeda for us. Looking in the market will be a little difficult because we are crowded. And not necessarily also on the market, because the menu will come out on a certain day only.

Today aunty cooks more as usual in the kitchen. This morning someone came to deliver the fish to the hall. Well the fish will later be processed by the aunts in the kitchen as a companion papeda. Fish commonly used as a companion food typical of the east is cob fish that will be combined with yellow sauce.

It is not difficult to cook papeda. Only if it's the first time may have to keep learning first. So what exactly is papeda? Well papeda is a typical food from Papua and Maluku can also be found in some areas in Sulawesi. The basic material of making it is sago (Metroxylon sago) its scientific name.

Papeda has a sticky texture like glue or clear white gel. If in the language of the Papuans often call papeda "dao" . The food tastes delicious if eaten alone without any mixture. So combined with yellow fish. Well if it has been eaten with new yellow soup fish deh it tastes wah, really good anyway. Finally, the delivery also felt the pleasure of papeda.

In addition to enjoyed with yellow gravy fish, papeda can also be combined with lontong or added vegetable leaves melinjo seasoned turmeric. Well cooked the aunts happened to be with yellow gravy fish, but tried with rice is also delicious. His name is also Indonesian

not full if you don't eat rice.

At first the people of Papua and Maluku make papeda as a staple food because it is difficult to get rice. But if now it is rare also like in a place in the interior even though it is quite easy to find rice. While cooking me and some curious people had a look into the kitchen. It turns out that the way of the papeda period is also not so difficult.

The aunts in the kitchen share the task of cooking rice, processing sago and cooking fish also make the seasoning. We focus on processing sago that will be made into this papeda. At first the aunt cooked water in a sizable cauldron. Well after the water had boiled aunt poured it into sago flour in the container. Then stir it until it thickens. It turned out that when it had thickened the sago flour changed color from the once very white turned into a bit of ash.

The thickened sago flour looks more like the paper glue I used to buy at the store. After thickening, the papeda is ready to be eaten. Easy as it turns out, it does not take long, I said. Indeed, but it must be ascertained that the flour is really mixed with water if not later unpleasant, replied the aunt who had made the papeda. After becoming an aunt put her homemade papeda on a table that can be used to arrange food.

But wait it turns out that eating papeda is not as easy as imagined. To move it into the plate required skill. It can't be scooped up like taking rice. We need two forks to roll the roll around and put it on the plate .It's also hard to roll the roll, not knowing because it's slippery or how but I don't think it's easy to move it into a dish. The stomach is hungry.

After entering the plate, the papeda is washed with yellow sauce and a piece of cob fish and ready to be enjoyed. It tastes chewy and tasteless but when eaten with gravy and fish it is like eating rice with side dishes only. And eating papeda does not need to be chewed because the chewy texture can be swallowed directly. Unless the fish should be chewed.

For knowledge also turns papeda has many health benefits. I read it mostly from the internet. Sago as a base material used is rich in fiber and nutritious. In papeda contained carbohydrates, protein and iron that we generally need for the body.

Sago trees themselves have begun to be rarely found in this Halmaher area. If you want to look for it, you have to dare to go to a forest that is still natural. Usually there is still easier to find sago trees. Actually there are some sago trees that we saw during the trip from the resort to the hall and around this hall there are also some who planted it. Only if for the needs of many it seems to have begun to be difficult to find.

But my wish was finally fulfilled as well. One of the lists before leaving here was finally contrasted already. Eat papeda done and then check it so written in a small field book that I always carry everywhere. In the book, I have written several lists that I could have gotten while in Halmahera and one of them ate papeda.

Other lists such as shopping by and seeing the beach may be tomorrow or the last day there is still a chance. At least one I'd like to try is fulfilled. I can show off to people later if I've ever eaten papeda. Even though in Jakarta or in other cities, the food may already exist. But eating in the original place is much more exciting.

Eating papeda in my opinion only need once because if used as food a day will quickly get bored. The taste is normal in my opinion but the flour song that makes it distinctive, and because it comes from the east it is also one of the typical food of the archipelago.

After eating there are still many activities that we will do of course no longer process data but more to holiday activities only. Have fun before returning to Jakarta and returning to the routine as a student who is busy with campus activities every day.