Traditional snack stands the test of time

A Christiant Kusuma, Contributor, Yogyakarta

Kotagede in southeast Yogyakarta is famous for its silver work, but little is known about the city's tasty traditional snack, kipo.

Kipo -- a small green sticky rice cake filled with a mixture of grated coconut, palm sugar and small slices of jackfruit, roasted and served on banana leaf; with each leaf containing five kipo -- can be found at a small food kiosk in Kotagede's main street of Mondorakan.

There is no clear information about how the traditional snack was first created, or named. But the Djito Suharjo family has been in the kipo business for generations.

According to Djito's daughter Istri Rahayu, her grandmother started the business in 1945, with a recipe from a friend, together with whom she ran the business.

When the friend left town her grandmother ran the business alone. When she died, her daughter, Djito Suharjo took over.

"The business runs very well. My mother could provide me with higher education," said Istri, a graduate of the School of Educational Science at the state-run Yogyakarta Teacher Training Institute (IKIP) -- now Yogyakarta State University (UNY).

Istri took over the business in 1990 as her mother was getting older.

"I thought it would be a pity if I didn't continue the business. After all, I couldn't get a job after finishing my studies then," said the woman who now runs the business with her husband, who has just being laid off from work.

"Alhamdulillah (thank God), we can support our family with this business."

Every day, she uses around nine kilograms of sticky rice flour, nine kilograms of grated coconut and three kilograms of palm sugar -- the snack's main ingredients -- to produce some 675 packages of kipo that she sells for Rp 400 each.

"We have a net profit of only Rp 100 per package," said Istri.

The couple start early, at around 3 a.m. every day. But their efforts are fruitful. By 2 p.m. at the latest, all the snacks are sold. During the weekends, the snacks will be sold out by 11 a.m.

"Don't expect to be able to buy kipo if you get here at 12 noon during the holidays," said Ibu Hartono, a kipo lover.

Another customer, Dewi, was upset to learn there were no kipo left when she came in late.

Istri realizes that many people would love her to prepare more of the snacks, but she cannot increase her production as she does not have any assistant.

"We cannot provide more since kipo is a homemade snack," Istri said, adding that the kipo making is still handled by one person.

The process starts by taking a marble-sized piece of a mixture of sticky rice flour, plain water, suji (the leaf used to produce the greed color) water, and sirih (betel leaf) water.

A mixture of palm sugar, grated coconut and slices of jackfruit are prepared then filled inside the sticky rice mixture. It is then placed on top of a piece of banana leaf (about five on each leaf) and roasted on an earthenware cooking utensil called cobek.

"This method of cooking produces an even heat, preventing the snack from being over cooked or burnt. Cooking the snack this way also creates an irresistible aroma as well as a pleasant taste," Istri said.

Kipo, according to Istri, has gained popularity as one of Yogyakarta's specialty snacks.

But since kipo will stay good only for a limited time and it is better served while still warm, it is difficult to turn it into a home industry like other snacks.

"If you leave kipo just like that for the whole day, it will turn hard and will not be tasty anymore. Yes, you can keep it fresh by putting it in a warmer but it will certainly taste different," Istri said.