Indonesia is known for great variety of authentic culinary products and handicrafts. Each city in Indonesia offers its own unique and diverse oleh-oleh for visitors to bring home. Food, clothing and handicrafts are among the more popular souvenirs.
We will trace basic feature of this rising sub sector and estimate its market value. But before delving with numbers and economics, we will browse through some of the cities and their choice of oleh-oleh.
Medan in North Sumatera is famous for cakes like bingka ambon, bolu and passion fruit extracts. Home based industry is the main producer of these products. Among the famous names are Zulaikha and Noerlen.
In West Sumatera, kripik balado (spicy cassava chips) are the more common souvenir from Padang and Bukit Tinggi. Prepared or cooked food like rendang is also a popular oleh-oleh among local visitors to Padang. The foreigners, especially from Malaysia and Singapore, normally carry home Padang’s famous fabric of songket and mukena with embroidery.
In Semarang, it is customary to visit Padanaran Street and drop by in one of the many shops that sell bandeng presto, wingko, or lunpia (the more famous one is Mataram street). We will find that those leaving Semarang will bring along boxes of the above and the aircraft will produce distinctive aroma of roasted fish and oily lunpia.
When in Makassar, markisa juice and cooked crab is now common oleh-oleh for local visitors. Apart from food items, Makassar is also home to the famous minyak tawon and silk fabric.
Banda Aceh is home to ayam tangkap, fried chicken mixed with some herb leaves that produce a disctinct taste and aroma. People leaving Banda Aceh also bring home bag or peci with traditional Gayo embroidery or known as sulam Aceh.
Malang is my favourite. Apart from green and fresh apple, Malang is also famous for chips or crackers made from variety of fruits. Crackers (kripik) made of apple, jack fruit, mango and banana can be found easily aorund Malang.
Do you have a favorite place and souvenir of your own. Please share in the Comments section. ***
Originally published on luqyantamanni.wordpress.com, May 12, 2011: view original.
