Papua has cultural and culinary diversity, as well as extraordinary natural beauty. It is rich in natural resources, and Papuan cuisine and food culture are worth it.
Sago Flour
Sago has become a traditional dish in regions such as Ambon and Papua. This sago can be made into flour made from the terraces of thatch or sago trees. Sago flour is almost similar to tapioca flour.
The benefits of sago include preventing gastric diseases, safe for consumption by diabetics, can make satiety last longer, and being good for child growth. This dish is one of the Papuan cuisine and food culture that is widely famous.
Papeda
Papeda is a specialty of Papua, Maluku, and several regions in Sulawesi. The Papeda is the most popular specialty food, even many people outside Papua also like this one food. The shape of this food is like a paste or gel.
Papeda contains carbohydrates instead of rice. Papeda is made from sago processing.
This food is usually served with fish, meat, coconut, and vegetables. Papeda can be wrapped using banana leaves to be eaten later.
Sago Lempeng
Making Sago Lempeng is easy, like making other slices of bread. Sago is processed by burning by molding rectangles or quarters with an iron.
The flavor is, initially, tasteless. However, after a while, the flavor started to vary with sugar to get a sweet taste.
Sago lempeng is a pastry that can be eaten directly or dipped in hot tea, coffee, and fish sauce.
The shape and size of these cookies vary depending on the mold and cooking method. Sago lempeng is fresh Papuan bread molded and baked from sago.
Bagea Sago
This sweet cookie is made from sago flour and has a slightly hard texture when bitten.
Usually, these cookies are dipped in a drink first so the hard texture becomes soft. This food is very fitting to be consumed when filling your spare time or when it rains.
Bagea sago cake is one of the typical Papuan cakes made from sago flour and walnut flour. Besides being known as a typical Papuan souvenir, bagea sago cake is also Papuan cuisine and food culture.
Culture of Eating Sago in Papua
Papuans have a habit of living in groups based on clans or the name of a family group.
Each clan usually has its own hamlet or forest area. They usually look for sago from the forest for daily meals and hunt animals as their cultural practices.
Papuan cuisine and food culture vary according to the occasion.
Traditional ceremonies or official meetings traditions in west papua are usually cooked with meat, which is then named Sagu sep. The culture of Sago sep is divided into several types according to the mixture.
There is Kumobo, sago mixed with coconut and meat, and Wanggilamo, or sago mixed with roasted meat.
In addition, there is Nggalamo, sago mixed with coconut and meat cut into large pieces, and Kaka or sago mixed with coconut and meat and added coconut milk.
Finally, there is Siu sago mixed with banana. The diversity of Papuan cuisine and food culture often attracts local and foreign tourists.
