West Papua has many unique dishes. Some of them are sago, and sago caterpillar. Sago caterpillar is a traditional food that has been consumed from generation to generation since prehistoric times.
Sago caterpillars are weevil larvae that live in the remains of old sago tree trunks and usually have fallen. Sago caterpillars eat starch found on the inside of the sago tree trunk.
Having some good nutritional content and can be processed in various ways, Sago Caterpillars are still preserved as a special dish, especially for people who live on the coast.
The Nutritional Content and Benefits of Sago Caterpillars for the Body
Sago caterpillars contain several nutrients that are good for the body. Based on research conducted by Nirmala IR, MSc, and friends, the nutritional content of sago caterpillars is protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids, omega 3, 6, and 9, as well as amino acids.
Based on these nutrients, consuming sago caterpillars can help the body build muscle and repair damaged cells and tissues. In addition, it can also be used to reduce muscle pain. And it can prevent several diseases related to inflammation.
Many Various Delicious Processed Dish of West Papua’s Sago Caterpillars
Imagining sago caterpillars as a dish might make some people disgusted. But not for people living in the east, especially West Papua. They eat sago caterpillars like other protein foods. Sago caterpillars can be eaten raw or processed first.
- Consuming Raw Sago Caterpillar
Sago caterpillars were initially known as food, consumed raw by the Papuan people. The way to finish is to swallow it alive directly, and the head should not be eaten. If the head is eaten, then there is a possibility, the caterpillar can bite the mouth.
The eating technique is to cut off the head, then the body of the sago caterpillar is inserted into the mouth. The way to cut off the head is to bite it directly, smack the head and swallow the body.
However, some people who eat this sago caterpillar for the first time remove the head by cutting it or severing it by hand.
The taste of these raw caterpillars is sweet, savory, and slightly oily, like butter melting in the mouth. But sometimes, there is also an occasional bland taste covering the tongue. The texture of the meat is a bit chewy too.
Not as bad as imagined. It’s delicious enough to be enjoyed even by beginners. However, it takes courage to eat it.
- Consuming Processed Sago Caterpillars
Time by time has gone from the prehistoric era to this present, nowadays sago caterpillars have been processed into various other delicious foods. Sago caterpillars have become a side dish for staple foods. Different processing techniques were carried out.
Some processing sago caterpillars into food are burning, boiling, and frying. One of the dishes made from sago caterpillars with the burning style is Sago Caterpillar Sate.
Sago caterpillar Satay is becoming a popular food. This satay has a slightly stiff texture on the outside but is soft and savory. The texture is a bit chewy, and it takes a long time to chew it.
Even though it is processed without additional spices, the pleasure of eating the sago caterpillar can still be felt on the tongue.
Sago apatar is one of the well-known processed sago caterpillars. Cooking Sago Apatar is to wrap the sago starch and sago caterpillars with sago leaves. These sago and sago caterpillar packages are then burned using charcoal for 15-25 minutes or until cooked.
Other processed sago caterpillars are sauteed with other ingredients such as mushrooms. Fried sago caterpillars have a slightly hard texture like shrimp. Other processes are boiled and then dipped with chili sauce. There are even processed sago caterpillars that are used as pizza toppings.
Sago caterpillars and their various processed products keep being introduced to the world as a traditional culinary heritage of Papua, especially West Papua. Various ways are carried out, so that sago caterpillars can be processed into delicious modern food, and are more acceptable to the general public.
