Kitchenesia.com - Jogjakarta’s renowed traditional cuisine, Gudek, has been everyone’s favorite since decades ago. Not is it popular among the local people, but also ventured out in Indonesia even outside of it.
Its gustatory merit is what holds this cuisine a lasting impression. A blend of salty, sweet and spicy combined with the accompeniment of other condiments such as vegetables and side dishes. make it perfect. It makes this food all the more wholesome and nutritious.
Let’s dig this food further by following these 5 facts:
1. According to Mudijati Gardjito,a profesor cum a researcher at Pusat Kajian Makanan Traditional (Centre of Traditional Foods and Nutritions Study) of UGM (Gadjah Mada University), Gudeg existence has been as long as the city first comes into forms.
2. Gudeg is a cuisine of all-embracing and for people of all-range. Everyone can afford to make their own home version of Gudeg with jackfruit as its main ingredient and with coconut milk as its soup. Other condiments that suit this food such as tempeh (fermented soybean), chicken and egg.
3. Gudeg can be eaten anytime and it is scattered everywhere especially if you happen to have a vaccation in Jogjakarta. Gudeg is usually sold as breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even eaten at dawn.
Because, according to Murdijati, Javanese people have the philosophy of enjoying something that is best consumed at night. Commonly known as “Matan Mat”. Usually, those who eat it at night are men after they have finished working while having a conversation with others at food stall.
In the morning, Gudeg is usually served with rice porridge in lieu of white rice. So, it is suitable for kids’ breakfast.
4. Gudeg has a high compostition of both soluble and insoluble fiber. The fiber in Gudeg is especially abundant in jackfruit, bamboo shoots, or manggar. It is beneficial in binding poisons and increasing the volume of faeces.
Though not scientifically verified yet, Yogyakarta people are rarely affected by colon cancer due to this food. Not only that, Gudeg also strengthens the bones because it is rich in calcium and phosphorus that especially helpful in increasing energy.
The average life expectancy of Indonesians is 67 years, while in Yogyakarta it hits 77.7 years old. One of the reasons is because they consume Gudeg a lot.
5. When Yogyakarta was promoted as a tourism area, Wilijan street was used as a centerpiece of Gudeg merchants. On this street, there are gudeg sellers with similar dishes but different flavors. Murdijati said, each seller has his own market share so that he is not afraid of losing consumers even tough they sell the same menu in one are.
