Seasonal stalls offering broiled rattan shoots along Jl. Letda Sujono in Medan, North Sumatra, are never quiet during the fasting month. In the afternoons, customers arrive there by car, motorcycle and on foot just to secure a serving of the special dish, which is very popular during Ramadhan.

Rattan shoots, a traditional dish from the Mandailing ethnic community in North Sumatra, can be found in a number of regencies and cities, such as South Tapanuli, Padang Sidempuan, Mandailing Natal and Padang Lawas. The dish is locally called pakkat.

During Ramadhan, many people from the Mandailing community consider pakkat a compulsory dish in their breaking-of-fast and predawn meals. They believe the dish tames the appetite and cures various ailments, such as hypertension.

Mandailing resident Ismail Nasution, 62, said people from his community had been eating rattan shoots since childhood. He said he started eating the traditional delicacy when he was 10 years old. Rattan shoots, he said, have the nutrients needed by the body to endure fasting.

'€œOne of the benefits of pakkat is to relieve thirst during the fasting period. That'€™s why pakkat is mainly sold during Ramadhan,'€ he said.

Ismail, who hails from Siabu district in Mandailing Natal regency, said he and his family could eat up to eight rattan shoots each day. He regularly goes to Jl. Letda Sujono to buy pakkat, with eight grilled rattan shoots costing Rp 15,000 (US$1.30). He said his family considered the dish a great alternative to fish and meat.

'€œTo me, rattan shoots are cheap. If people were aware of the medicinal benefits, they would look for this dish,'€ Ismail said.

The texture of cooked pakkat is similar to that of rebung (bamboo shoots). Rattan shoots measuring 10 to 20 centimeters in length are broiled over burning charcoal for about 15 minutes. After broiling, it is easy to peel the stems to expose the white flesh.

Rattan shoots are usually eaten with rice. They have a slightly bitter taste, but sweet soy sauce mixed with chili, onions and lime balance out the taste. Another option is serving it with serundeng (fried shredded coconut).

Rattan shoot sellers are also found on various other streets, such as Jl. Sisingamangaraja and Jl. Gatot Subroto. Several restaurants offer pakkat as their signature dish.

Sunar Siregar, one of the sellers, said he had sold rattan shoots for 25 years and was a pioneer of this small business in Medan.

Sunar said that back in the 1980s, the dish was not well known.

'€œToday, everyone likes to eat rattan shoots,'€ said 69-year-old Sunar.

He said edible rattan shoots were called pakkat while another variety used to make handicrafts was called sogo rattan.

Sunar said it was getting more difficult to secure a supply of rattan shoots in Deli Serdang regency following the expansion of residential areas. Nowadays, pakkat sellers have to look farther afield for a supply, such as in Langka Payung in South Labuhan Batu regency.

'€œI buy the bulk of my rattan shoots from Langka Payung and sell them to vendors [in Medan],'€ said Sunar, adding that he spent Rp 1,200 per shoot and sold it for Rp 2,000.

He sells eight broiled rattan shoots for Rp 15,000.

'€œI can sell at least 1,300 rattan shoots daily and earn a profit of Rp 300,000. It'€™s not bad, as it is enough to support my wife and 10 children,'€ said Sunar.

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