As the easternmost part of Indonesia, visiting West Papua hits different from any other region. The diverse cultures, natural resources, the beauty of the scenery, and last but not least, the delicacy of the local food. West Papua has many antimainstream foods to offer, so don’t miss out on these 5 most unique foods from West Papua.
Cheating Shrimp
Are we meddling into a shrimp affair now? No worries, the name of this popular Wamena delicacy has nothing to do with what the shrimp do. Cheating shrimp gets its name from the shape of its crab-like gigantic claws. Therefore, people thought that it’s a crossbreed between a shrimp and a crab.
Cheating shrimp have dense and fibrous meat, similar to lobster meat. Although it’s dense, once you take a bite of the shrimp, the tender and slightly sweet meat will make your taste buds tingle. It’s everything you want in seafood, especially when eaten fresh.
There are many ways to cook and enjoy cheating shrimp at its fullest. You can enjoy it fried, boiled, or grilled. Some also cook it with oyster sauce if the umami flavor is your liking, or add padang sauce for those who like spicy food and butter sauce for those who like the savory and buttery taste. Squeeze some lemon on top to add freshness.
Bagea Cookies
Bagea cookies originated from Ternate, South Maluku. The cookies are made from sago flour added with some local spices, which give them a distinct flavor. Bagea cookies are shaped like a tree trunk that’s cut into pieces. It has a white-yellowish color.
If you cannot go to West Papua to bring Bagea cookies home, you can always make it yourself. First, whisk eggs and sugar until it becomes thick, then add cinnamon, cloves, groundnuts, and walnuts. Shape the mixture into a round shape, then put it in the oven. The cookies are usually packed using dry leaves.
Sago Caterpillar Satay
When we talk about unique foods from West Papua, we’re talking about the ones that you will not find anywhere. In Raja Ampat, do your Fear Factor show by trying the notorious sago caterpillar satay. Sago caterpillars – also called Koo – inhabit sago tree trunks, especially the old and weathered ones. In Papua, the locals enjoy eating sago caterpillar, both raw and cooked.
The indigenous people eat koo directly from the tree without any additional seasonings. It’s pretty simple. Just grab the head, bite the head off, then chew the body, and swallow it. When you start chewing koo, the body will burst, and all that’s left in your mouth is the umami taste. The body is tough on the outside and tender on the inside.
Sago caterpillar is believed to be highly nutritious and energizing. It is high in protein content, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine, tyrosine, and methionine. Some people believe that eating it raw will give higher nutritional value. However, not everyone is a fan of raw Koo, especially tourists.
Koo can also be cooked and be made into a stir fry, fried, or made into satay. The method to make sago caterpillar satay is similar to other satays. First, stab the caterpillar in the head. Then, roast on burning coals while smearing the caterpillars with sweet soy sauce, do it repeatedly until it’s cooked.
Lontar Cake
First of all, don’t let the name fool you. The cake isn’t made of lontar fruit, and it looks more like a milk pie instead. The Dutch introduced the cake during the Dutch colonization in Indonesia tens of years ago. It was originally named londtart, which means round cake in Dutch.
The egg-based pie is shaped using a ceramic plate. Papuans enjoy the cake before special occasions such as Eid or Christmas. Nowadays, lontar cake is garnished with toppings such as grated cheese, chocolate chips, raisins, sliced fruits, etc.
Sago Slab
Sago slab – also called sagu rumbia or sagu lempeng – is a must-buy snack to bring from Papua. Like its name, the sago slab has a rectangular slab shape with a brownish red color. The texture is hard but crunchy, almost similar to the texture of Bagea cookies. It is one of many unique foods from West Papua that you can bring back home and share with your friends and family.
How to make it? Make sago into flour and sift it. Pour the flour into molds and bake on fire or burning hot coal for 30-60 minutes. Once done, add grated coconut or brown sugar. You can easily find sago slabs in the market or online shops. One pack usually contains 20 pieces for Rp50,000. Best enjoyed with tea or coffee.
Those are the 5 most unique foods from West Papua, the sweet and the savory. Bring the list with you during your visit to West Papua so you can bring back not only memories but also some tasty snacks.
