Sticky fingers with traditional taffy<\/p>\n
Kartika Bagus C., Contributor, Ponorogo, East Java<\/p>\n
Have you ever entertained romantic thoughts while gnawing on
\ntaffy?<\/p>\n
Well, when you chew the traditional taffy from Ponorogo, a
\ntown in the southern part of East Java, you also taste the
\nmetaphoric qualities of love and marriage.<\/p>\n
For the taffy is part of the requirements a Ponorogo man must
\nfulfill when proposing to a woman. Thus the taffy, made of rice
\nor glutinous rice, is a required element in a marriage proposal.<\/p>\n
When a man brings along some rice taffy when he proposes to a
\nwoman, it means that he has won the woman's heart. The sticky
\nrice taffy represents the bond that will exist between the two
\nuntil death separates them.<\/p>\n
Sweet and delicious, the traditional taffy's basic ingredients
\nare rice and sticky rice mixed with palm sugar and young coconut
\nmilk. In some cases, it can also be made of potatoes, squash,
\nbananas or melons.<\/p>\n
Of course Ponorogo also boasts other unique foods, such as
\nskewered chicken, pecel (salad made of blanched vegetables served
\nwith peanut sauce) and dawet gempol (a cold drink made from rice
\nor arrowroot flour).<\/p>\n
The Ponorogo taffy, however, is different from the taffy found
\nin other areas because it has remained unchanged in shape and
\ntaste. The taffy from Garut, West Java, for example, is mixed
\nwith milk, cocoa and other modern materials.<\/p>\n
In Ponorogo, the art of taffy making, which is usually a
\nhousehold industry, is handed down from one generation to the
\nnext.<\/p>\n
One of the taffy makers in Ponorogo is Teguh Rahardjo, 56. He
\nsaid that he inherited the business from his parents. With his
\nwife, Sri Hariati, 49, he turned his taffy-making business into a
\nsemi-modern business in 1982.<\/p>\n
Usually, Ponorogo taffy is square-shaped and comes wrapped in
\npaper. But in the hands of Teguh and his wife, the taffy is
\nattractively packaged so that it can serve as a souvenir.<\/p>\n
\"Generally, people come here to buy taffy to take it home with
\nthem. Even migrant Indonesian workers buy a lot for their mates
\nin Malaysia, Brunei or Saudi Arabia,\" Sri Hariati told The
\nJakarta Post in her shop-house here.<\/p>\n
Some of the ingredients for the taffy, such as palm sugar and
\nyoung coconuts, are found in Ponorogo. Others are bought in
\nneighboring cities, like the potatoes from Malang and the squash
\nfrom Nganjuk.<\/p>\n
Making Ponorogo taffy is simple; what you need above all else
\nis patience and perseverance.<\/p>\n
Some 15 people mix all the ingredients in a large wok with a
\ndiameter of 30 centimeters. A special machine is needed to mix
\nthe glutinous rice.<\/p>\n
Hariati said that the longer it takes to mix the materials and
\nthe more coconut milk added to the mixture, the nicer the taste
\nand the longer the taffy will remain refresh.<\/p>\n
The main constraint facing the business, said Teguh, is the
\namount of time the taffy can remain fresh. If the taffy can
\nremain good for a longer period, the business can grow even more,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Presently, he added, he had the only shop selling taffy at the
\nSeloaji bus terminal, run by one of his children.<\/p>\n
But the business still can't meet the market demand. Hariati
\nsaid they received a lot of orders from some shops outside of
\nPonorogo, but were unable to fill the orders because when packed
\ntheir taffy must be consumed within a month.<\/p>\n
Unpacked taffy will only remain fresh for a week, she
\nadded.<\/p>\n
They attempted to add preservatives to the taffy, but it
\naffected the taste, Hariati said.<\/p>\n
\"We received complaints from our customers so we stopped using
\nthe preservatives. We were afraid of losing our market,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Despite the constraints, the couple continue to search for
\nways to develop their taffy-making business, including taking
\npart in food exhibitions to help spread the word about their
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
They also are committed to ensuring their customers are
\ncompletely satisfied with their taffy-chewing experience. Teguh
\njokingly added that if you buy taffy directly from his shop, he
\ncan guarantee that it will be as fresh as a daisy.<\/p>",
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