Ramadan’s streets of culinary delights

Every Ramadan, a number of Yogyakarta’s streets become traditional Indonesian food markets, many of which cannot be found outside the fasting month.

In Kauman village, for instance, the lane in the middle of the kampung has become a shopping hub famous for snacks for people to break their fast. Stalls run by dozens of vendors offering an assortment of food and snacks line both sides of 100-meter-long lane.

“Kauman lane has long been famous for vendors selling food to break the fast. I have been selling food here for more than 10 years,” said vendor Sutiyah, who sells a variety of snacks.

She told The Jakarta Post that Kauman started as a makeshift market in the 1960s. Back then, a number of residents sold food to break the fast for worshippers from the Gede Mosque in Kauman. Every day many worshippers, including those from outside the area, would seek traditional food to break the fast.

Since then, Kauman lane has been referred to as a place to find food to break the fast and in 1995 came under community management.

“We sell various snacks, from modern cakes to traditional Yogyakarta food,” said Sutiyah.

The traditional snacks sold at Kauman include kipo (roasted glutinous rice filled with palm sugar), apem (rice cake) and mendut bapak pucung (colorful cassava mixed with grated coconut).

Other dishes include buntil (boiled papaya leaves filled with spicy grated coconut), kicak (steamed glutinous rice filled with sugar) and rondo royal (fried fermented cassava mixed with milk).

Nasi jagung, rice mixed with corn, is also sold there. “It is in remembrance of our ancestors and is wildly popular among residents,” said Mawar, who has been selling the dish for four years.

Mawar said the old-style dish’s popularity was not that strange. Besides being a healthier option, nasi jagung is likable by some as it is accompanied by a number of side dishes, such as vegetables mixed with grated coconut and fried anchovies.

“Each portion costs only Rp 3,000 [about 30 US cents] and I can sell between 100 and 300 portions daily,” she said.

Jl. Jogokaryan is another such food mecca. Over the past five years, the street, running around 2 kilometers, has also transformed into a Ramadan evening market offering various menus similar to those on offer in Kauman village.

Another Ramadan market can also be found on Jl. Nitikan.

After Ashar, or afternoon prayer, at around 4:30 p.m., as many as 105 vendors serve various kinds of food for breaking the fast, from side dishes to snacks.

A number of stalls there also sell various clothing, such as Islamic attire, head scarves and prayer mats.

Besides selling various snacks, the Muthohhirin Mosque on Jl. Nitikan also provides a free wifi hotspot.

“The fasting month becomes a culinary paradise because we can find an assortment of traditional menus here,” said Faturochman, adding he was a regular at the market.