A mini survey by Omar Niode Foundation revealed that respondents like traditional Indonesian foods, beverages and snacks because of the taste. Typical flavor, suits the taste, delicious, and spicy are various reasons why they like local food. All the reasons come down do one word: taste.

Many realize, however, that traditional food is being replaced by fast food that can be easily acquired in almost every corner in Indonesian big cities.

To popularize and reintroduce local food to communities, our respondents suggested a number of activities such as promotion, event, bazaar and festival.

Recently Café Gran Via, an international buffet restaurant at Gran Melia Jakarta, elaborately promoted Javanese cuisine through a Javanese Food Festival.

The café welcomed guests with the warmth of Javanese nuance once they entered the restaurant, greeted by servers all properly dressed in traditional Javanese clothes. The melody aired from traditional Javanese music, for some people, created an experience just like nowhere but home.

Before admiring the quaint Javanese decorations in an open buffet kitchen stations, guests encountered the cold station sections filled with appetizing fruits and vegetables entrees, ranging from urap (mixed vegetable salad with spiced grated coconut) and pecel godhong kates (papaya with peanut sauce) to rujak serut (grated fruits salad).

Kupat tahu Magelang, a mixture of various kinds of fresh vegetables, tofu and peanut sauce as the pouring was also available to revive the taste of freshness before the course, just like pecel kecombrang (torch ginger with peanut sauce), rujak kangkung (watercress salad), and more.

In this special food festival, numerous tantalizing selections were divided into 7 different cycles a week with a set of special complete gudeg, slow cooked vegetables, ready everyday.

Each course has been prepared to highlight the signature taste, coming from areas around East and Central Java. Sate Ambal, avariant of satay, originally comes from Kebumen, using tempe sauce instead of peanut sauce that is very commonly used in preparing satay.

In the carving section, ayam panggang Klaten (roasted chicken) with 2 selections of sauce; original and BBQ, awaited to be served as well as soto ayam Kudus (chicken soup), sop buntut (oxtail soup), rawon (beef black soup), and more for the soup choices along the week, just like selections for appetizer, main course and dessert.

Sinom, special drink of the month, made from tamarind leaf that is known for its benefit towards the human body was also exclusively available, together with drinks and desserts such as wedang ronde (glutinous rice balls in ginger syrup), petulo and putu ayu (sweet snacks made of rice flour), bubur ketan (sticky rice porridge) and many more.

The mini survey by Omar Niode Foundation revealed that conversations on traditional food made respondents more aware of the importance of carrying out activities to increase the popularity of Indonesian food at home and abroad.

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Images: Gran Melia Jakarta