Food is a basic need in our lives. Every day we need some food as a source of nutrition to produce energy, form body tissue and manage all processes in the body. There are various types and variations of food materials with different processing methods. Below, I presented local food materials in the Aru Islands and how they are processed.
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I am
Natasya Derman, teaching the Indonesian language at Nadai State Junior High
School, Gardakau, Aru Islands, Maluku Province. I also teach crafts because
there is no teacher for the subject. Even though I do not have a background in
crafts, I was required to study the subject matter and it turned out that craft
is very enjoyable and it has value because through the subject I can encourage students
to be creative in processing local foods. Next, the students have more
appreciation and creativity toward the potencies of their local area, such as
woven mats and sewing mats, bamboo combs, chopsticks, etc. By getting to know
local potencies, hopefully, the students maintain the unique local cultural
works to be sustainable from generation to generation. Furthermore, students
have a sense of love for nature by seeing the agricultural products, so that they
are called to preserve the nature around them. Then, through food processing,
they learn to work together and to be responsible, active, and diligent as a
form of gratitude to God. The emergence of these creative thoughts and ideas
was honed when I studied in Yogyakarta and was active in student trainings of Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta.
I guided the students to map out what food sources found around them, and they mentioned the staple foods that are commonly found in Gardakau, including sago, cassava, tubers, and several other types, such as king fruit, mangrove tree fruit, and many others. Residents usually process food for daily consumption, while these tubers are processed into various types of snacks, for example, lamet, crackers, sweet compote, and so on. Furthermore, king fruit, a plant growing in the forest, has a round fruit shape like chicken eggs, which is usually processed into onde-onde or wajik. That time, we just made onde-onde from king fruit.
In the first activity, the students practiced local food processing, from raw or semi-finished ingredients processed into ready-to-eat food. They learned how to process food according to the basic ingredients and what to make. We make crackers from sago which takes more than one day. Initially, we made papeda, after the papeda was cooked, it had to be cooled first in a clean container for several hours (5-10 hours) until it was completely cold. Then, the papeda mixture is sliced thinly like shrimp crackers, placed in a tray, and dried in the sun until dry. Once dry, thin pieces of papeda are fried until they expand like prawn crackers. Sago crackers usually have a savory and crunchy taste.
In the second activity, we made papeda, sinoli, and jepa. The process of making papeda is easy, so it does not take long, at least 30 minutes, depending on the amount of sago used. It was made by boiling water until it boils. Next, the hot water is slowly poured into a container containing fine sago while stirring until completely mixed. The volume of hot water should not exceed the amount of sago or be less, so that the resulting papeda is not too runny or thick. Papeda is usually consumed with yellow fish sauce, boiled fish, or meat, even with vegetables. Meanwhile, Sinoli is made from moist sago but it is not watery and not runny. The sago stirred in the pan is mixed with grated coconut over low heat until evenly cooked. The process of making sinoli is relatively short so it is usually used for breakfast and in the afternoon or evening as a dessert. Sinoli is usually served with coffee harvested by the local people. Meanwhile, Jepa is made from moist sago mixed with grated coconut and sugar, then heated in a frying pan over medium heat while stirred until cooked. The shape is flat like a pancake but thicker with a sweet taste.
The students seemed enthusiastic about processing food into various kinds of food. From those who initially only knew how to consume food and had never processed food, now they know how to make it. In the future, the experiences will become additional knowledge for them to become more familiar with the potency of their village and to get benefit from it. The enthusiasm they show is additional energy for me to continue to accompany and to find new ideas for the young generation in Gardakau.***
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