Have you ever heard Batak Village?. A tribe in Northern Sumatera. We have Traditional food and drinks that don’t exist in other area. That are:
1. TUAK
Traditional drink made from palm trees. In Batak we called it “Tuak” and “Jungle Juice” in foreign language. It’s called jungle juice because, we can find only in jungle or “Hutan”. Palm trees is a long tree. We need a long time to get the water, because we have to climb using a ladder. We take it only in the morning and evening and bring it to the village. After arriving in the village we are usually distribute the drink to a place we called it “Warung Tuak”. The ones who drink the most are boys and young men because is made them drunk. Tuak contains high alcohol when consumed very much, but can maintain health when drinking a little. That’s why Tuak is a traditional Batak drink because of the cheap price only IDR2.000,00 per glass. Usually they are drink it in a glass or bottle.
2. Purik
This drink is very typical in Batak Village especially those who live in the countryside. They really know about this drink . Made from rice water which is cooked using a pot on firewood. After the rice boils take the water and put in a cup and add sugar. So that tastes sweet. It tastes like milk the difference is only the aroma of rice. I remember when i was kid my mom gave me this drink because she doesn’t have money to buy the real milk.
3. Mie Gomak
Mie Gomak is a food that is well known as a regional specialty from the Toba Batak land, covering all of the Toba Batak regions, and is also a special dish in Sibolga and Tapanuli. Regarding the origin of the designation for this menu various versions. Some mentioned, maybe because of the way it was provided, it was used(held by hand) until ow called gomak noodles, although in the end they didn’t hold it with their hands when serving it. Also often called the Batak Spaghetti because it is similar to the spaghetti from Italy, the shape is similar to a stick. Boiled noodles are usually made separately with gravy and chili sauce. Although there are many variations to make this typical Batak food menu, there are thse who use soup and some are made like fried noodles.The taste is very unique when gomak noodles are mix with herbs from the Batak land namely Andaliman.
4.Sayur Daun Ubi
Mashes cassava leaves are a vegetable dish made from crushed leaves. Cassava leaves are traditionally crushed using mortar and pestle stones or mortars and ulekan, however, other ways to slice and chop thinly, or use a blender or food processor also be done. This dish can be found in various culinary traditions in the archipelago from Padang and Batak Cuisine in Sumatera. Cassava leaves are cooked in a mixture of stir-fried spices, consisting of a little chili and onion, and added ginger, galangal, pecan, garlic, and lemongrass, mixed with coconut milk and anchovies. Mashed cassava leaves are usually cooked with a mixture of gempokak. A simpler recipe for mashed sweet potatoes can be found in the cooking tradition of the Dayak tribe from Kalimantan, namely by boiling cassava leaves with red onions, plus a mixture of animal fat and salt. For western cooking traditions, kale leaves can be used instead of cassava leaves.
5. Ikan Nila Arsik
Arsik is an Indonesian spicy fish dish of the Batak Toba and Mandailing people of North Sumatra, usually using the common carp (known in Indonesia as ikan mas or gold fish).
Distinctively Batak elements of the dish are the use of torch ginger fruit (asam cikala), and andaliman (Indonesian szechuan pepper). Common Indonesian spices such as shallots,garlic,ginger fresh turmeric root and chili are also used.
Andaliman, essential for the distinctive taste of the dish, is known to grow only in the Batak highlands of North Tapanuli and Samosir, hence this dish is regarded as specifically of the Batak Toba and Mandailing people, who dwell in these areas.