Bengkulu is a province located in the southwestern shore of Indonesia. The province doesn’t stand out in term of tourism. However, Bengkulu has lots of wonderful destinations as well as a strong Melayu culture. The province also has delightful culinary delights, as seen in many snacks from Bengkulu.
In general, it is quite predictable that Bengkulu is really rich in seafood-based food. However, in terms of snacks, this area is much more versatile. Here are some of the most delicious snacks from Bengkulu that you must try.
Lemang Tapai
This is a combination of two vastly different rice delicacies. Lemang is a savory cake made from white sticky rice and coconut milk. The cooking process involves grilling the ingredients in the bamboo tube. Meanwhile, tapai is fermented black sticky rice which has a sweeter flavor. The combination of the two creates a unique taste. Sometimes they also throw durian in the mix.
Lepek Binti Cake
This is a rather rare snack because you will mostly find it during the holy month of Ramadan. At a glance, you can see that it looks a lot like nagasari, traditional cake from Java. The main ingredient of the cake is sticky rice flour, grated coconut, and palm sugar. The batter with a filling of sweet grated coconut is wrapped in banana leaves and baked until it’s done.
Pendap
Apart from being a delicious snack, this is also a really delicious side dish. The main ingredients in pendap are fish, coconut, garlic, turmeric, and chili pepper. This is similar to pepes ikan that you can find in other parts of Indonesia. However, the main difference is that instead of using banana leaves, pendap uses taro leaves.
Tat Cake
Originally, tat cake is only available for kings and aristocracy. Today, tat cake is available to everyone. It is especially popular during Ramadan and Lebaran. The main ingredients are butter, flour, sugar, eggs, coconut milk, and jam. The baking process is rather ‘normal’, doesn’t take too long. Additionally, there is the smaller version of this cake which is called kue anak tat (children of tat).
Lempuk durian
Whatever you call it, this is a very popular snack in Indonesia. Dodol, lempok, lempuk, and many more. Furthermore, this snack mainly uses sticky rice flour and lots of palm sugar. In Bengkulu, the favorite flavor is durian. Understandable given people in this area love durian so much. Just like dodol, it is made into small cylinders before then cut into bite-size cakes.
Exploring Bengkulu can be an interesting choice as there are many wonderful destinations here. However, if you truly want to experience the authentic taste of this province, you must try the delicious snacks from Bengkulu.
