How to Enjoy Papeda

How to Enjoy Papeda, Unique and Must Try
Papeda is a traditional food of the Papuan people. When you are on vacation to Raja Ampat, you must try eating Papeda. This food is made from sago with a texture similar to sticky porridge. In fact, some people also think Papeda resembles white jelly.

With this unique texture, it is necessary to enjoy Papeda properly, especially for tourists who are tasting this traditional food from Eastern Indonesia for the first time.
Papeda has a fresh flavor and is often served with yellow tuna. Papeda is also often enjoyed with ganemo vegetable made from young mlinjo. Because of the uniqueness of this food, some places even serve Papeda with other more varied dishes.

Papuans also often serve Papeda as a dish for traditional ceremonies such as Watani Kame and the birth ceremony of the first child. At traditional ceremonies, Papeda is generally served with pork.

Here’s How to Enjoy Papeda to Make it More Delicious
Papuans usually eat Papeda with their families with traditional cutlery called Helai and plates made of wood called Hote.
Given the texture that tends to be sticky, to enjoy Papeda, you must use a special fork or chopsticks. To take it, you have to roll the Papeda porridge into a big lump and then place it on a plate. You can take Papeda according to your taste.

You can enjoy Papeda like eating noodles by slurping and then swallowing. For those who are trying to eat Papeda for the first time, it is usually a bit difficult because it has a chewy and sticky texture.
Papeda can be enjoyed with yellow sauce to make it more delicious. In some restaurants, Papeda can be eaten with various side menus such as snapper and kale.

Papeda is made from the trunk of the sago tree which is crushed into grains of fiber. The fibers are then squeezed to extract the water. The process produces the essence which is later cooked into Papeda. The cooking method is quite easy, namely mixing it with boiling ari and stirring until the texture is thick and chewy.

In a Papuan dish, Papeda is a source of carbohydrates. In addition, Papeda is also high in fiber so it is useful as a source of energy and good for the digestive system. In terms of health, consuming Papeda can also prevent heart disease. This is because Papeda contains amylose which can control blood sugar in the body. 

It should also be noted that in 2015, Papeda was declared an intangible cultural heritage of Indonesia. For that reason, when you travel to Raja Ampat, there is nothing wrong with trying to enjoy Papeda, which is a cultural heritage that has been recognized worldwide.