'Tiwul' back in fashion in Ponorogo
'Tiwul' back in fashion in Ponorogo
Kartika Bagus, The Jakarta Post, Ponorogo, East Java
Go to East Java and you will find plenty of pecel (spicy
vegetable salad) and satay, two specialties of the region.
But if you go to Ponorogo, some 200 kilometers southwest of
Surabaya, don't be surprised if you are served a plate of tiwul.
Tiwul, a dish traditionally associated with poverty, is made
of cassava flour. The flour is soaked, finely ground by hand and
then steamed.
The dish is particularly delicious if eaten along with some
side dishes. Of course, if you say you eat tiwul people may
facetiously call you poor, because in the past only people who
could not afford to buy rice ate tiwul.
When Indonesia was in dire condition during the Dutch colonial
period and the Japanese occupation, tiwul was a staple food for
people in impoverished areas like Ponorogo. In those days, rice
was too expensive so the locals turned to cassava.
Times have changed and so have people's lifestyle. Today,
tiwul has again become popular among the people of Ponorogo, even
though now most of them can afford rice. A number of food stalls
in the city offer tiwul plus side dishes.
Some people in Ponorogo eat tiwul out of nostalgia, while
others believe it is good for gastronomic problems because it is
chemical free.
One of the traditional food stalls in Ponorogo offering tiwul
is owned by Marjuni, 32. The stall is mostly made of bamboo and
is called Warung BMW. BMW stands for the Javanese phrase Bar
Mangan Wareg (come and make a glutton of yourself).
Apart from tiwul, Warung BMW also offers corn-based food and
25 kinds of side dishes. On the menu is such traditional fare as
prawns and kukus (food wrapped in banana leaves).
Marjuni said most of those ordering tiwul were middle-aged,
adding that she usually went through 15 kilograms of cassava
flour a day.
"People come here because very often they cannot prepare tiwul
at home. They come here once a week or so and many of them are
old friends who come here as a sort of reunion," she told The
Jakarta Post.
Marjuni has opened BMW branches in other locations, and tiwul
has become a popular take-away food.