TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - When I was in elementary school, I was taught about the kinds of Indonesian staple foods. Rice, sago and corn were considered as Indonesian typical staple food back then. Nowadays, when rice has become the most popular staple food throughout Indonesia, people in Luwu, South Sulawesi, is still keeping their traditional food made of sago.
Luwu is located in the north of Makassar, around 8 to 9 hours drive. People of Luwu is known to be the experts in cooking sago dishes. Sago used to be their staple dish before the rice. In present days, dishes that are made out of sago are only served as side dishes in restaurants.
One of the most popular sago dish from Luwu is kapurung. It is similar with a sago dish from Papua called ‘papeda’. The thick sago is served with hot soup in a bowl and there are more vegetables in kapurung compared to papeda.
There are also slices of fish or shrimp in a bowl of kapurung. In Palopo, the capital city of Luwu, kapurung is usually eaten with fish head as the side dish.
Parede is a dish of fish head that is cooled with yellowish broth with dices of chili and tomatoes. It tastes rather sour and salty. Eating kapurung and parede together is very enjoyable!
Because kapurung is thick and soft, it is easier to slurp the dish instead of munching it. Let those small chunks slide into your mouth. For spicy dish lovers, there are some types of sambal best matched with kapurung.
Also, because Luwu has coastal zone, the snapper in parede is usually taken from fresh fish. The soft fish meat blend well with the rich flavor of the broth, making an unforgettable experience.
In Palopo, kapurung and parede can be found in local restaurants. It is a kind of dish that you should not be missed if you ever visit Luwu.
IPUL GASSING | INDONESIANA
