When we talk about West Papua daily, it leads to some interesting things. One of them is the delicious original food from West Papua. They have many delicious foods that are not only unique but also interesting to try. They have a cooking tradition that has been kept alive until now.
Cooking Tradition
People in West Papua keep their tradition through cooking. When they have food to cook, they will gather and burn a stone. This is something they have done for a very long time. It sounds weird, but this tradition has a very beautiful meaning.
Burning the stone is a tradition that shows their gratitude. This is the way for West Papuan to thank God for the food they’ve got. They do this tradition right before starting to cook the food.
In the past, people in West Papua would burn the stones when they got wild boar. It’s a great gift from God so they can eat delicious food. That’s why they will burn the stones together. Then, the burning stone will be used to cook the wild boar.
Now, there are people in West Papua that still do this kind of tradition. It’s very interesting to know that they still burn the stone before cooking. It means they still believe in God and show their gratitude. This tradition became a West Papua daily thing that kept the tradition alive until now.
Traditional Food in West Papua
Talking about West Papua daily, especially food and cooking traditions, is interesting. People in West Papua have many delicious traditional foods. Here are some traditional foods they have:
1. Papeda
This kind of food is very popular. Papeda is not only a traditional food in West Papua. People in eastern Indonesia also know this as their traditional food. It is made from sago starch and cooked until the texture is turned into mush. For West Papua people, papeda is used like rice.
2. Sago Caterpillar Satay
Yeah, you read it right! Sago caterpillar satay is one of the interesting foods that you can find in West Papua. Sago caterpillar satay is made from the trunk of an old sago tree. It sounds weird, and most people usually have nausea when eating this. But for West Papua people, this is very delicious.
3. Manokwari Grilled Fish
Actually, this food comes from Manokwari. This is very popular in Manokwari and West Papua. People really love it. They used tuna to make this lovely food. It’s really good if you eat this food freshly.
4. Petata
There is petata, similar to papeda. It’s a staple food in Papua because people there don’t grow rice. They eat petata and papeda as their main foods. If papeda is made from sago starch, petata is made from potato. Both of them have a delicious taste.
5. Aunuve Habre
In West Papua, people also eat aunuve habre. This is a special food made from tuna. The unique thing about this food is that the tuna will be cut and wrapped in a taro leaf. After that, the fish will be steamed in a pan with water and salt.
6. Shrimp Selingkuh
People also eat shrimp, called selingkuh. The shrimp has similar characteristics to crabs. This is why this is called selingkuh. In Indonesia, “selingkuh” means having an affair. In this case, people see the shrimp having an affair with the crab. That’s why they seem similar.
People in West Papua usually eat seafood for their daily menu. But there are many kinds of delicious food that are made from other ingredients. Also, you will find their unique cooking technique.
West Papua daily is very interesting to explore. They have a great tradition and delicious food. People in West Papua always kept the tradition until now, when they developed the traditional food with better taste.
