Purwokerto offers unique snail curry at Ramadhan fasting month
Purwokerto offers unique snail curry at Ramadhan fasting month
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto
Thirty-eight-year-old Kustini has been very busy wrapping
kraca for her customers. They start lining up at her stall from 3
p.m. and Kustini employs the help of her daughter to help with
the demand.
Kustini, a resident of Bantarsoka subdistrict in Purwokerto,
Central Java, is only one of numerous kraca vendors during
Ramadhan.
Kraca is a type of snail most often found in rice fields, and
about as big as an adult's thumb. It is curried in its shell and
served as a snack.
Farmers usually feed their ducks kraca but during Ramadhan it
becomes very valuable. Many people, including students and office
workers, buy this specialty food of Purwokerto.
For only one month, many housewives are kept busy with their
new business, while food stalls also offer kraca to meet the high
demand. Kraca vendors can be easily found on roadsides in
Purwokerto. However, these vendors disappear as Ramadhan ends.
Kustini tastes a month full of blessings during Ramadhan by
selling kraca. She can earn at least Rp 200,000 (US$19) per day
from her business.
"Cooking kraca is similar to preparing a curry dish and the
ingredients are no different from those for lamb curry," she told
The Jakarta Post, which interviewed her at her kraca stall on Jl.
Setasiun Purwokerto.
She buys raw kraca from villagers, who deliver them to her
house every day.
"I buy raw kraca at Rp 3,000 per kilogram. Each kilogram of
cooked kraca is divided into seven portions, which I put into
plastic bags. I sell each bag for Rp 1,000," said Kustini, adding
that she can sell an average of 40 kilos every day during
Ramadhan.
There is a special method to cook kraca, otherwise it will
have a fishy smell. Fresh kraca should be cleansed and boiled for
three hours.
"It is boiled for a long time to remove all the filth. I still
have to clean and cook it again in boiled water. After that I
pour out all the ingredients," Kustini said. There are 15
different ingredients in the recipe, including ginger, turmeric,
sugar, salt, pepper, oil, coconut milk and chili.
Kraca curry, which sells better than lamb curry during
Ramadhan, is savored just as deliciously as lamb curry.
To eat kraca is a unique experience. Those who have never
tried it could initially get confused as the flesh is closely
laid in the shell.
"There is a cover in the front part of the snail. The cover is
opened and we sip at it so that the flesh is sucked into the
mouth," said Kustini. If it is difficult to dislodge the flesh, a
toothpick can be used to get to it.
Ernawati Indah, a 22-year-old student at the University of
Soedirman Purwokerto, said she was an avid kraca eater. "It is
delicious. It tastes both sweet and hot. They are really suitable
for breaking the fast," she said.
Kustini said many of her consumers come from out of town.
"Many buyers come from Cilacap, Banjarnegara and even Cirebon,
West Java," said Kustini, whose stall opens from 2 p.m. until
dusk.
"I tasted kraca when I was in Purwokerto. At first I didn't
like them, but after giving them a try I found them delicious and
now I can't stop eating them," said Liliek, 26, from Klaten.