Solo has a unique trait; wonderful creativity to create delicious dishes out of limited resources. Tengkleng, timlo, or selat are some of them. Another traditional dish that came out of difficult time is Sate Buntel. However, it has since evolved into a rather popular dishes and has become the president’s favorite dish.
Sate Buntel is a delicate yet lovely dish. It differs from most satay in Indonesia, simply because the cooking process is so unique. It also evolves to have more interesting variants. Here is all you need to know about sate buntel.
History
Sate Buntel was born because peasants in Central Java want to enjoy delicious satay. At that time, satay was an aristocracy dish. Since they could not get the meat to skewer, they gathered smaller meat and wrapped them in the fat. That way, they can grill the small meat which otherwise wouldn’t be possible. This was really a poor man’s satay. However, some claims that this is originally from Turkey or India.
Presidents favorite
Over time, people start to consider sate buntel as just another variant of satay. In fact, this dish has become so popular that it has become the favorite dish of two Indonesian Presidents. President Soeharto and President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) love this dish so much. Jokowi is still taking his time to enjoy this satay when he gets the chance to visit Solo, his hometown.
The Uniqueness
Originally, the meat for sate buntel was salvaged from butchery leftovers. They take the meat from bones, little by little. However, they now use common meat then mince them. The common trait of this satay is that it is really greasy, thanks to the fat wrap. However, with special seasoning and sauces, it still tastes wonderful. You will also see that they use several sticks to skewer this satay.
Where to enjoy
Sate Buntel is generally available in many cities in Indonesia, especially the big ones. However, for the authentic taste, you should come to Solo and try them in its birthplace. Here are some of the places you can visit to enjoy this delicious food:
- Sate Kambing Pak H.Kasdi at Jl. Monginsidi No.107, Kestalan, Banjarsari, Surakarta, Central Java.
- Sate Kambing Mbok Galak at Jl. Ki Mangun Sarkoro No.112, Sumber, Banyuanyar, Banjarsari, Surakarta, Central Java.
- Sate Kambing Pak Manto at Jl. Honggowongso No.36, Sriwedari, Laweyan, Surakarta, Central Java.
Sate Buntel is a fruit of ingenuity by people who were in a difficult situation but still want to enjoy a delicious dish. Now, you can even find many variants of this dish. Not only using meat, but they also use vegetarian ingredients like tempeh or tofu.
