A hot chili pepper paste festival, North Sumatra style<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
At least 106 unique sorts of sambal (hot chili paste) were
\nfeatured in a contest in North Sumatra's festival of traditional
\ncondiments in Medan earlier this month, with Sambal Jando
\nMangamuk capturing the attention of visitors, including
\nprovincial Governor Rizal Nurdin.<\/p>\n
The governor had a big smile as he noticed the name of this
\npaste, literally meaning \"the sambal of a furious divorcee\", at
\nthe pavilion of Rukiah, a participant from Asahan regency.<\/p>\n
\"Well, it's unique. But I guess the flavor is familiar to me.
\nPerhaps I had it once...,\" said Rizal Nurdin while tasting it.
\n\"It's a special paste, Pak. It's exceptional, with a story of its
\nown,\" Rukiah told the governor.<\/p>\n
Rukiah related how a housewife was frequently left alone by
\nher husband a long time ago, until she heard about the return of
\nher spouse one day. Desirous of taking revenge for being
\nabandoned, she concocted her own sambal with fury.<\/p>\n
The typical relish was produced by blending garlic, onions,
\nred, green and small chili peppers, fermented soybeans, shrimp
\npaste, shrimps, white and brown sugar, tomatoes and other
\ningredients. \"She mixed them into a sambal in the way an enraged
\ndivorcee does,\" added Rukiah.<\/p>\n
The first sambal festival of North Sumatra was part of the
\n59th National Independence Day commemoration, enjoyed the
\nregional community's warm reception and listed over 100
\nparticipants under two categories: restaurants, hotels and
\ncatering services, and individuals.<\/p>\n
Most of the tasty sauces presented in the event were
\noriginally named after the components mixed with chili peppers.
\nFor instance, South Tapanuli's sambal tuik is made from tuik fish
\ncommonly found in the regency, which is ground along with chili
\nto become a condiment.<\/p>\n
Some of them got their names from their blending methods, such
\nas sambal Tuk-Tuk, also from South Tapanuli. Though one of the
\nregency's tourist spots in Parapat, Lake Toba, is called Tuk-Tuk,
\nthis sauce is made by pounding that produces the sound \"tuk, tuk,
\ntuk...\"<\/p>\n
Megahati Hasibuan, preparing the Tuk-Tuk on display, said the
\npaste was made up of aso-aso fish, red chilies, red onions, limes
\nand salt, all being crushed into a paste by pounding.<\/p>\n
The other sambal exhibits were North Tapanuli's Tombur,
\nTapanuli's Andaliman and Deli Serdang's Pelam. Also displayed
\nalong with the pastes were rice, fish, salads and other side
\ndishes.<\/p>\n
Governor Rizal Nurdin said the festival was meant to explore
\nthe diverse varieties of sambal and traditional delicacies of
\nNorth Sumatra. The idea struck him as he toured different
\nregencies with delicious foods not yet widely known.<\/p>\n
\"Through this program, all sorts of chili paste and
\ntraditional dishes in the region can hopefully come to the fore,\"
\nthe governor pointed out.<\/p>\n
Chairperson of the Indonesian Catering Service Association,
\nNorth Sumatra, Murniwati Bayu Fadhlan, said this event was very
\npositive for the further introduction of Indonesia's chili sauces
\nto the global community.<\/p>\n
According to Murni, traditional cooking from regions has not
\nyet been very popular abroad. \"The only constraint is the lack of
\npublicity. If this program were carried on in future years, our
\nsambal would be consumed worldwide,\" said Murni.<\/p>\n
Concluding, Murni noted the great potential of Indonesian
\ntraditional foods, particularly those typical of North Sumatra,
\nand their less inferior flavors to imported ones.<\/p>\n
The champion emerging from the festival contest in the hotel,
\nrestaurant and catering category was Hotel Grand Angkasa,
\nfollowed by Hotel Sahid and Hotel Dharma Deli as first and second
\nrunners-up.<\/p>\n
In the individual category, Novina won the top place with Ria
\nand Sahrul as runners-up, while the best three in the mixed
\nfavorite class were Azhar, Hamzah and Hotel Tiara Medan,
\nrespectively.<\/p>",
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