Hot under the collar with spicy Acehnese food

Suryatini N. Ganie, Contributor, Jakarta

The some who like it hot should head to Aceh, try their hand at a few of the local recipes, for that pack a powerful punch.

Situated on the northwesternmost extreme of Sumatra, the region of Aceh, now called Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, has long been known for its fertile land. This attracted foreign traders to make its harbors their port of call when trading in Far Eastern commodities.

The interchange of products of those visiting Aceh is still very obvious in Acehnese daily fare today. With food known for having a very spicy and hot taste, Acehnese cooks make the foreign produce more suitable to their own tastes.

Take the noodles introduced by Chinese traders. Bearing no resemblance to mealy noodles with a fairly bland flavor, mi goreng Aceh (Acehnese fried noodles) will have the novice reaching for a glass of cool water to ease the burns of the extremely hot chilies of the region.

After a while, when tasting other hot and spicy fare, for example, in the region of Pidie, which was one of the mighty trading centers in Aceh, one will appreciate the culinary creativeness of the people.

After such an unforgettable spicy meal, a glass of ii boh timon (cucumber water) will refresh the palate and make one ready to taste other regional food options. Although curry is famous worldwide as a specific Indian food, the Acehnese, known for their pride in their heritage, would not admit that completely.

Many Acehnese contend that they played a great part in the fame of the curry spice mixture because Indian traders of yesteryear put down anchor at Acehnese harbors, waiting for the west wind to push their ships home.

To shorten the long wait, they married local women who knew their way around the kitchen, mixing and matching spices to please their husbands.

Acehnese are actually very proud that for centuries many foreign envoys visited and made trading transactions and many a story tells about those visiting Aceh.

One of them was Marco Polo on the way home to his native Italy When served the keumamah (dried tuna) that was and still is Aceh's most traditional fish product, he was surprised because it was similar to bacalao, the much appreciated dried fish in his second homelands of Spain and Portugal.

Up to now the most renowned dish of many a coastal region is gulai ikan kayu. Keumamah or ikan kayu (literally "wooden fish" in local terms) is as hard as its name suggests and has to be soaked overnight to be able to be prepared into an enjoyable dish.

But whereas bacalao has a dominant salty taste, the keumamah is rather salty and sourish because of its procedure of cooking the fresh tuna in salt and souring agents, like belimbing sayur. After the drying process, the keumamah can be stored for months and is a favorite food when one travels to distant places.

Another specific Acehnese ingredient is nana ulhe or grated roasted coconut (or fried without oil until a dark brown color, and ground finely). It is said to be an interchange with Bugis culinary know-how, which also uses grated roasted coconut, because the sailors of South Sulawesi often threw anchor at Aceh's harbors.

The ultimate in Acehnese curry will be daun temurui or curry leaf, and just a few leaves in the dish will make it distinctively Acehnese.

The Acehnese are a very sociable people and like to send fruit or sweets to their relatives and friends. For a more impressive effect, they cover the fare with a stunning food cover called delamak, which is different in every region.

Besides sending each other food, they are also quick to offer help, especially when a family event is planned and relatives (mostly the women) are asked if they could make a dish to complement the menu. Refusing to do so is a no-no, and one can even ask for a specific food item.

That's Acehnese food in a nutshell. Now have a taste of its cooking and be prepared for a very surprising experience!