Indonesia: dried, tried, tasted

Item Type article

Authors Dipananda, Kyana

Download date 30/09/2021 12:09:12

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/41283 Indonesia Processing Dried, Tried, Tasted

At the core of the unique flavours and tastes of the East Java cuisine of Indonesia is the traditional artisanal technique ofpindang

umenep Regency is located at significant capital investment. Fish the eastern end of the Madura is an everyday food for the Sumenep SIslands in Indonesia’s East Java community and is always present, in province. It is known for its large one form or another, in every kitchen fishery and marine potential. Several as a source of staple protein. types of fishing gear exist in Madura, Several local artisanal methods mainly the payang, a type of seine net, are used in processing fish as a part of very common and essential among post-harvest activities. These are linked fishermen. The payang resembles a to the limited cold storage facility in trawl net. By design, it has wings and the local fish supply chain in rural a ‘cod end’ on the upper part of the net, Sumenep. The fish-processing practices supported by floats, and weights that have been sustained for decades secure the lower end. The second type through the local knowledge of the of gear, introduced by the Indonesian Madurese community. Take the case government in Madura in 1976 to of a woman trader who sells various 26 promote efficiency, is the purse seine. food items, travelling to eight different The purse seine fishery is characterized villages on a motorcycle each day from by high productivity and a larger scale, dawn to noon. She never sells fresh compared with the payang seine. fish due to its perishability. In tropical conditions, fresh fish is particularly difficult to preserve, not only due to climatic and environmental conditions, The fish-processing practices have been sustained for which contribute to fish spoilage decades through the local knowledge of the Madurese within a few hours, but also because community. of the lack of adequate equipment for refrigeration. To ply her trade in such conditions, she uses methods specific to each of the processed fish products Besides these two types of gear, she sells. the gillnet fishery has also played an essential part in the Madurese fishing Traditional techniques community. Artisanal fishers used to Five forms of fish products are in high operate gillnets around the island, demand in the local market here. First where it is classified into three types: is the famous fish. The term drift, shrimp, and set gillnets. Most of refers to the cooking process under the artisanal fishers use the bagan, a which the ingredients are boiled in fixed engine gear operated during a together with certain spices. In fishing season. The net is lowered using Sumenep, the pindang fish is usually a roller. When a large number of fish cooked with salt only. However, have been gathered, the net is lifted; as pindang is common not only in this process is repeated until sufficient Sumenep, there are different ways of catches are obtained. boiling the fish throughout other parts Most of Sumenep’s marine products of Indonesia. These techniques are are utilized for food. They can be traditional in the communities of Java classified into fresh fish and artisanal and Sumatra, where various preserved processed fish–dried, salted, boiled This article is by Kyana Dipananda types of pindang are available in ([email protected]), is based on fieldwork and smoked. There are also frozen fish, traditional markets. Some of the people in Sumenep, Indonesia and fishmeal, which require might use shallot skins, guava leaves,

SAMUDRA Report No. 83 Processing

Kyana Dipananda

A smoked-fish seller at the Gapura Market, Gapura District, Sumenep Regency. Several artisanal methods are used in processing fish due to limited cold storage in the local fish supply chain in rural Sumenep. 27

teak leaves, tea, or other spices common koneng. In Madurese palappa means in Southeast Asia. This gives the gravy a spices and koneng means yellow. Sothis yellowish to brown colour; it also helps means yellow spices. The boiled fish is the fish last longer compared to plainly cooked with various spices, including boiled fish. garlic, onion, candlenut, turmeric, In Sumenep’s local market, it is chillis, tamarind, pepper, ginger, salt common to find women vendors selling and sugar. Pindang is then boiled with pindang from their baskets. They are all the spices that have been mashed usually skipjack or mackerel in together. The seasoned fish is then various sizes. The centres for making deep-fried just before it is served. pindang are scattered throughout Without a refrigerator or access to a Sumenep, some in the northern areas chiller, the women rely on spices to such as Pasongsongan, Slopeng, preserve the fish. Ambunten or Dungkek. The processing centres have begun to shift to the proximity of traditional markets, for The second product high in demand is example, the pindang-making stall the fish paste called petis. It is made by located in Pasar Anom in downtown processing by-products, usually from Sumenep. Most pindang traders are boiled fish, , or shrimp. These looking for means of cutting down the are heated until the liquid broth thickens production and distribution cost. into a sauce. In Sumenep, petis comes The mothers in rural areas of from the soup left over from the boiled Sumenep are the outstanding patrons pindang. Petis comes in various types of pindang. One reason they like the and flavours. The Madurese petis made boiled fish is the familiarity – the taste in Sumenep has a unique character. It produced by boiling with salt leaves tends to be salty and looks bright, with a a distinctive flavour. It also makes it brownish-red colour. Many Madura petis easy to cook, usually deep-fried or are produced in Pasean, Pasongsongan cooked with a little sauce. The most and Ambunten, the main locations for famous pidang recipe is the palappa pindang-making centres.

SEPTEMBER 2020 Indonesia

Petis is often served with chilli products made on the island are sent out sauce, which also accompanies rice, to many places in Indonesia. The most , and fried tofu or vegetables expensive ones are readied for export, like chopped cucumber or sprouts. while the cheaper ones are usually sold Petis is usually sold in the traditional in the local markets. Since markets or by mobile traders who visit has more bones than meat, the more the villages. For small-bag sizes, petis well-off consumers tend to shun it. are sold at low and affordable prices. The locals believe that petis has given Sumenep’s food a distinct identity that sets it apart from among other East Javanese foods. The third fish product high in demand is . Besides boiling, smoking is another artisanal technique to process fish in Sumenep. The fresh fish is smoked immediately on arrival. The processing activity is usually handled by women; they work together to smoke the fish by burning corn cobs and coconut fibre. The hot smoke produced by the combination of corn cobs and coconut fibre lends the fish a distinctive aroma. The heat from the smoke gives the fresh fish a 28 shiny black colour. The smoking cooks the fish slowly so that it lasts longer without need of refrigeration.

... thanks to its long shelf life, dried fish is the staple food during times of hardship, when other kinds of fish are too expensive.

Two other forms of processed fish are popular: sun-dried fish and . Both rely on a similar drying technique, with sea salt being added in the latter case. Most of the workers are women; they manage various kinds of jobs from cleaning and drying the fish, adding salt, to packaging the fish to sell in bulk. The women fish workers mostly work in pathetic conditions in the processing units and get low wages. The selling price of dried fish For more depends on the size and the quality of https://edepot.wur.nl/238229 fish. In Sumenep and its surrounding The Indonesian sector: A rural areas, dried fish is available at value chain analysis affordable prices. Those with deeper http://www.gbgindonesia.com/en/ pockets usually don’t prefer it. agriculture/article/2014/indonesia_s_ aquaculture_and_fisheries_sector.php Export demand Indonesia’s Aquaculture & Fisheries The dried fish industry in Sumenep Sector is well-known in East Java, and the

SAMUDRA Report No. 83