Whilst Yogyakarta is very well known for its enthralling culture and well-preserved traditions, the local food scene is vibrant yet often left unexplored. We invite you to join us to discover the real taste and background of Central Javanese snacks and traditional food.
Events kick off with a visit to a simple but clean restaurant hidden in a small side alley. On the menu is Lotek, the Javanese version of Gado-Gado and often referred to as “Indonesian salad”. We love it! Then it’s onward to a Bakpia factory to take a look behind the scenes at the processes of making this traditional delicacy. Bakpia are small, round-shaped pastries traditionally filled with green mung bean paste, but nowadays also available in different flavors like chocolate, durian or cheese.
The culinary discovery continues as we stop at a small Warung selling a variety of traditional snacks such as vegetable filled pastries, sticky rice rolls with shredded chicken, jelly or pandan cakes, Indonesian spring rolls or banana stuffed cassava flour roasted in banana leaf. Jalan Wijilan, also known as “Gudeg Street” is well synonymous in Yogyakarta with Gudeg, a stew made of unripe jackfruit and teak leaves, traditionally slow cooked with coconut milk in a clay pot for several hours. In a way it is a perfect reflection of the Javanese philosophy of calmness, patience, and meticulousness. Watch the preparation of this famous dish in the traditional wood-fired kitchen behind the restaurant before you taste the sweet and spicy meal yourself.
We conclude events with Ronde, flour-based glutinous balls filled with a peanut and served in a bowl of hot ginger tea at the south square of the Sultan’s palace. It transforms at night into a weird and funny scene of revelry with colorful illuminated, flashy pedal cars and loud music. Once introduced as trauma relief for children affected by the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, these pedal cars are today a popular activity amongst locals of any age.
