West Papua Province is the territory of Indonesia in the eastern region. The province has a variety of unique things such as traditional weapons, Papuan songs, and traditional dances. The region also has typical food with delicious flavors. The cuisine is not only the main attraction of this area but the food is a symbol of various cultures in Papua. There may be many people who do not know the traditional cuisine of this province. Here is some typical Papuan food that must be enjoyed while visiting this region.
Papeda
Actually, this food is not only a typical food of West Papua but also some eastern Indonesia. This food is made from sago. Papeda should be cooked for several minutes until the texture of the food can turn into mush. The white porridge with the sticky texture looks like glue and the flavor of this food is bland. Usually, Papeda will be eaten with tuna or mubara. The fish is cooked with turmeric so the fish sauce becomes yellow and the taste of the fish becomes savory. The way to eat Papeda is the same as rice. This food will make you addicted because the delicious and delicious flavor mixed together.
Martabak Sagu
This is a martabak made from sago. Sago is already mashed and fried. Martabak will be smeared with brown sugar. This is food that comes from Fakfak Regency. You must be surprised to see this food. This food is different from the egg and sweet martabak. The factor that distinguishes this martabak from other foods is the staple used in making martabak. Martabak is made with sago so this martabak taste sweet and delicious. If you come to this area, then you can directly try this martabak.
Sate Ulat Sagu
One of the typical foods of West Papua is sago caterpillar satay. This is a strange food for many people. Maybe you will vomit and nausea when you see this food. Sago caterpillar is a caterpillar originating from an old sago tree trunk. Indigenous Papuans are accustomed to living in nature so that indigenous Papuans consume these sago worms. Sago caterpillars will be burned and stabbed like satay.
Ikan Bakar Manokwari
Manokwari is an economic and culinary center in West Papua. The city has a variety of famous foods to other areas. The type of fish used for this dish is tuna fish. If you visit Manokwari, then you should taste this spicy dish. The sambal for this fish is different from other sauce. The grilled fish will taste sweet and spicy on your tongue. The sambal is tasty with chili and fresh spices.
Ikan Bungkus
This fish is the same as pepes fish but the difference is seen from the main ingredients. The fish wrap uses a type of marine fish to be wrapped and cooked perfectly. This dish uses a variety of herbs and leaves. Seasoning will be put into leaves and wrapped with fish. The fish will be burned until cooked.
Udang Selingkuh
This is a unique food because the food is referred to as the cheating shrimp. This shrimp has a claw or hand like a crab so people think that this shrimp has an affair with crabs. This shrimp is very popular in Wamena. These shrimp can be fried or boiled. You should take the time to go to Wamena and try the cheating shrimp. There are many tourists who are interested to try this food.
Petatas
This is sweet potato. Sweet potato is the staple food for the people of West Papua. The Papuan people do not grow rice. The natives consumed sweet potatoes and sago. Sweet potatoes are the inherited food of the ancestors with high nutritional value. The government wants to develop sweet potatoes into an industry that can provide benefits to the people of Papua. The government wants to build tapioca factory to increase the selling value of sweet potato. Tapioca starch has an expensive price compared to selling raw sweet potatoes. This is a great opportunity to improve people’s economy. You should know that sweet potato have a better effect compared to rice. Rice can trigger diabetes.
Aunuve Habre
This is typical food from Papua. This food is made from tuna fish. This fish will be cut and wrapped using taro leaves. This fish should be steamed using salt and water in a skillet. The flavor of this fish will be tasty because the spices that seep into the fish. Each bite will give you a delicious flavor.
That is some traditional food of West Papua. If you are a culinary lover, then you should come to this region and try all those foods. Your experience is not complete when you are not visiting this area. There are many other traditional foods that can be a mainstay in this region. Maybe you cannot forget the taste of this food. This food definitely provides a different taste with other foods. Indonesia has many traditional foods from various regions. This is due to different cultures in each of these areas. If you want to get a new experience, then you can try the food from eastern Indonesia.
Source: https://westpapuaupdate.com/8-traditional-foods-must-try-west-papua/
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