Tambak specialty: Duck sate and curry<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono, Banyumas, Jawa Tengah<\/p>\n
If you travel along Jl. Raya Tambak in the Central Java regency,
\nBanyumas, on the southern road route from Jakarta to Yogyakarta
\n-- between Purwokerto and Kebumen to be precise -- you will
\nsurely notice dozens of street kiosks offering the same things to
\neat: duck satay and curry.<\/p>\n
Tambak, a subdistrict within Banyumas regency, has long been
\nknown as the center for vendors of these dishes. According to the
\nvendors, at least 35 of them do business along the road, selling
\nfood that is associated with Tambak, and nowhere else.<\/p>\n
Siyam, 40, a duck sate and curry vendor told The Jakarta Post
\nrecently that she used 10 to 15 ducks per day to make either duck
\nsate or curry; a duck could produce up to 75 skewers of sate
\nwhile the leftover pieces and bones were cooked to make delicious
\nduck curry.<\/p>\n
"Our kiosk is usually open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. on
\nweekdays. On weekends, however, we are open until midnight, due
\nmainly to the presence of numerous long-distance travelers who
\ndrop by just to taste our specialty on their way home," Siyam
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
A portion generally comprises 10 skewers of satay and is sold
\nat Rp 7,000. With ducks mostly costing about Rp 20,000 each,
\nSiyam said her raw material costs were about 50 percent of the
\nselling price of the cooked items.<\/p>\n
"We can save some Rp 100,000 a day -- not bad, as it can meet
\nthe cost of our children's school fees," said Siyam, adding that
\nher income would rise significantly during long weekends,
\nespecially Idul Fitri celebrations, which mark the end of the
\nfasting month of Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
Also worth waiting for, according to Siyam, were feasting
\noccasions when many locals would place enormous orders for duck
\nsatay or curry to serve to their guests.<\/p>\n
On these occasions, she said, a family could place an order
\nfor either satay or curry, or both, of up to 150 ducks. It was
\nbecause duck sate and curry had become favorite dishes, not just
\nfor travelers but local people, too.<\/p>\n
Many who have tasted the food agree that it's special. "It
\ntastes different from any other kind of meat. I never miss
\ndropping by just to taste the satay every time I pass this way,"
\nAndi, 34, from neighboring Cilacap told The Post.<\/p>\n
Riza Utami, 20, from Purwokerto, agreed, saying that duck sate
\nhad long been one of her favorites. "It has a unique taste that's
\ndelicious. I often come to Tambak with friends just to enjoy the
\nsatay and the curry. They love it," Riza said.<\/p>\n
According to Salinah, 40, another duck satay and curry seller
\non Jl. Tambak, the special taste of the food comes from the duck
\nmeat, which has a unique flavor. "Therefore, when it is mixed
\nwith the right spices and enjoyed with special peanut sausage,soy
\nketchup and pepper, it certainly tastes
\ndelicious. We say here that it's gurih (tasty)," Salinah said.<\/p>\n
Tambak duck satay originated in the 1960s, when a local, Atmo,
\nSiyam's grandfather, started to sell it from one village to
\nanother, and then from one traditional market to another. As time
\nwent by, however, Atmo settled down on Jl. Raya Tambak in the
\n1970s, as old age made it more difficult for him to carry his
\nmerchandise from one place to another.<\/p>\n
It turned out that the dishes Atmo offered became increasingly
\npopular and eventually other people also started businesses by
\nopening their own kiosks offering the same food on the same
\nstreet, till it took on its current appearance.<\/p>\n
The success of the businesses is also supported by the
\nregion's traditional duck farming, thanks to regular flooding
\nduring the rainy season that has made the region a favored
\nlocation for duck breeders.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tambak-specialty-duck-sate-and-curry-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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