Papua is an Indonesian island that is known not just for its incredible natural resources but also for its fascinating culture. This island also provides unique and intriguing gastronomic pleasures of Papua traditional food.
Unlike most other areas that rely on rice as a staple diet, Papuans rely on sago as the main course. So don’t be shocked if you come across a range of Papuan culinary delicacies that have a distinct flavor and are not available everywhere else.
Although sago is the primary element in Papua’s staple diet, there are many other sorts of Papuan culinary delights to savor that are prepared from various other food ingredients, such as marine creatures. Want to discover what Papuan specialties are one-of-a-kind and might get you addicted? Here are some interesting Papuan cuisines to try!
Try These Papua Traditional Foods and Become Instant Papuans!
Papuan dishes in high demand include Papeda, Colo-colo, Manokwari Grilled Fish, and Wrapped Fish. See the explanation below.
1. Manokwari Grilled Fish
While most Indonesians eat grilled fish with soy sauce or peanut sauce, Papua, particularly the Manokwari region, eats grilled fish with coarsely ground spices. The fish is coated with lime before grilling.
After cooked, serve on a banana leaf with chili sauce and roughly crushed raw spices. This Papuan gourmet taste is, of course, delicious, especially when served with wild rice.
2. Cheating Shrimp (Udang Selingkuh)
While we’re on Papua traditional foods derived from marine species, another local food is Cheating Shrimp. As the name says, shrimp is the major component in this meal. However, unlike most cuisines, the shrimp utilized is a sort of freshwater shrimp from the river.
So, why is the shrimp referred to as cheating? That’s because it has the appearance of a shrimp but the claws of a crab. As a result, locals believe the shrimp is having an affair with the crab.
This traditional Papuan cuisine preparation is highly diversified. Some people use sweet and sour sauce, butter sauce, Padang sauce, or oyster sauce to prepare it. Because of the diversity, you may select the sauce that best meets your preferences. When it comes to the flavor of the shrimp, it’s not so different from other shrimp, but cheating shrimp has a softer texture and tastes sweeter.
3. Bagea Cake
Bagea cake is another distinctive Papuan food created from sago flour. This Papua traditional food is fashioned into little rounds, similar to cookies, but unlike other cakes, bagea cake has a firm feel due to the usage of sago. Don’t allow the hard texture put you off eating this snack since, despite its hardness, the bagea cake melts in your mouth when you consume it.
In addition to sago, sugar, walnuts, flour, cinnamon, cloves, and peanuts are used to prepare this Papuan specialty. The intense flavor of spices distinguishes this cake from others in the archipelago. Eating bagea cake while sipping tea is strongly recommended to make it even more delectable.
4. Aunu Senebre
There are other ingredients in Papuan cuisine besides sago flour. Other rice-based dishes include Aunu Senebre. Aunu Senebre is a dish from Papua that mixes anchovies with rice. Although it appears traditional and rustic, the wonderful flavor of this meal will make anybody who eats it feel special.
This dish, widely available in Papua, is even more noteworthy because 2017 Anugerah Pesona Indonesia (API) nominates Aunu Senebre in the Popular Traditional Food category.
5. Sago Caterpillar Satay (Sate Ulat Sagu)
This satay, a unique Papuan delicacy, piques the interest of extreme food enthusiasts. Sago caterpillar satay may be considered an excessive meal by some. However, this dish is popular among Papuans since it is high in protein and provides energy while low in cholesterol.
As the name suggests, sago caterpillars from the sago tree are used in this Papuan dish. To obtain the primary ingredient for this dish, Papuans chopped the sago tree and let it decay.
6. Colo-colo
The final Papua traditional food you should try is colo-colo. Colo-colo is a chili-shaped dish with a very spicy flavor. Papuans typically cooked sambal colo-colo to accompany huge feasts in the afternoon and nighttime.
The flavor of chile colo-colo is quite famous among all Papua locals. If you’re in Papua for a few days, don’t miss out on trying this Papuan chili sauce.
Wrapping Up
That is a list of well-known Papuan specialties. To experience the flavor of strange foods, you must try various processed sago, utilized as the main menu for Papuans. The locals adore sago so much, but if you don’t like sago, you can always eat alternative Papua traditional food such as processed seafood, which is no less excellent than processed seafood in other parts of Indonesia.
