Cinnamon Fermentation from Waerebo

By Eufemia Sarina, S.Par.          

I am so excited to return to my village because I want to practice what I have learned in Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta about local food. Stube HEMAT is an institution that accommodates students from various regions and campuses with diverse knowledge and skills provided to them so they can improve their skills. I also participated in several training themes, such as water problems, children's rights, marine economics, and other more. I call Stube HEMAT my second campus other than my college because I can get new other knowledge than from what I learned on campus.

I am Eufemia Sarina from Waerebo village, Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. Waerebo is known as a tourist attraction in Indonesia and even internationally. Talking about Manggarai, coffee is its special icon. Is coffee the only local potency in the area where I live? It turns out there are various types, namely cloves, vanilla, orange, and cinnamon. Usually, residents process agricultural and plantation products for their consumption and sell them in the nearby city. From the insight I got at Stube HEMAT, I took the initiative to use local food, namely fermented cinnamon. This is my next step in practicing my skills in processing existing plantation products. I hope this fermented drink can become a souvenir drink for tourist visits besides woven and decorative accessories.

Cinnamon is a local spice growing in the hills around Waerebo. In general, people use cinnamon to add taste and aroma to food and drinks because of its distinctive aroma, and even as a preservative for food and drinks so they’ll last longer. The Waerebo people use cinnamon to add aroma to coffee and sell it in the city which sometimes the price is low. Hopefully, by processing cinnamon-based drinks, local communities get better economic value.

Fermentation requires materials and tools such as; fermentation jars or bottles, airlocks, filters, and cooking tools. Meanwhile, the ingredients needed include cinnamon, sugar, yeast and water. I boiled all the ingredients except the yeast, and then let it cool. Once it is cool, do the fermentation process using a fermentation tool and store it in a shady place. This process takes a minimum of three weeks. I started processing it in mid-October and it can be harvested in early November, precisely on November 4, 2023. I invited my parents and older brother to taste and to assess its taste. They admitted that it tastes quite good, fresh and warm on the body, suitable for places with cool temperatures. My father said, "This is so delicious, I have to learn so I can make it when Enu (you, for women - Manggarai language) goes to Java again. The important thing is information for the ingredients, how to prepare and to make it."

Even though the first production is considered delicious, it does not mean that my efforts in making fermented cinnamon beverages end here. They like and even support my work. I will produce it again as soon as possible and be able to market it. I hope the people in Waerebo will know about the potencies of local food and they will be interested in processing the existing potency as their income.

In Stube HEMAT I found enlightenment that young people must do something that brings good change in their local region. I hope that Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta will continue to empower students, both in Yogyakarta and other cities, and I even imagine that one day there will be a Stube HEMAT in Manggarai, or even in Waerebo. ***