Processing Indonesia’s Wealth: BULBS!
Indonesia is a country endowed with very high biodiversity. One of them is UMBI, such as yam, taro, gadung, and purple. The Dani community in Wamena, megenal of the hundreds of tubers – they call it hipere. While in Yogyakarta, there are at least 65 types of tubers are known. Bali itself, has at least 75 types of tubers that can be processed!
Unfortunately, today dozens and even hundreds of these tuber types are successfully ‘defeated’ by one type of food that is very famous and we are made dependent on it: RICE. Through the system and policies that have been built for decades since the ‘Dutch colonial era’, people who have dozens or even hundreds of bulbs are said to be poor if they do not consume rice. In fact, it is not possible to dry land in Papua or in Bali can be planted with rice. As a result, dependence on the outside is very high because it does not want to say poor.
We can learn from Cireundeu, Leuwigajah, South Cimahi, Cimahi, West Java. Since almost a century ago, in 1924, they always consumed cassava constellations. Rice, considered as a symbol of colonialism, is confronted with the wisdom of “having no rice paddock with rice, no rice to have rice, no rice from which to cook, not cooking rice from food, not eating strong origin”. That is, eating does not have to be rice … can eat anything as long as it is strong. This wisdom is used against the Dutch who then controlled the distribution of rice, while the land in the village is not suitable for rice.
Rasi is a form of resistance to colonialism, as well as forms of food self-sufficiency. Consuming food that grows from the land itself means not dependent on the supply of food from outsiders. With no dependence on one type of food, let alone coming from outside, we are increasingly able to adapt to the impacts of climate change that are now beginning to be felt.
So, Sunday 25 September 2011 was chosen as a day to hold a tuber processing training. The activity started at nine o’clock, facilitated by Ibu Sri Mulyani from Faculty of Agricultural Technology Unud. Ibu Sri was accompanied by her colleague from the same faculty, Ibu Puspawati and Ibu Sri Wiadnyani. The event was attended by mothers and girls from Kiadan Pelaga, Dukuh Sibetan, Tenganan Pegringsing, Buleleng Strait and Kerobokan Pengubengan. Plus those who are interested in the diversification of processed tubers.
There are many processed tubers that can be made, but when it is only made some processed, namely purple cassava cupcakes, taro chips, cookies cassava, purple sweet potato brownies, and purple sweet potatoes. Almost all tuber-based flour, so trained also how to make tuber flour. For cassava and purple sweet potatoes through the same process, ie tubers can be directly dried by oven or sun after washed and cut into small pieces, before being made flour. However, for taro, taro that has been washed and cut should be soaked in saline solution 7.5% for 12 hours before drying. This is done to remove the sap that can cause itching in the tongue.
Nyam … before lunch, all the preparations can be tasted. It’s all gone. One thing that becomes PR: is there any group that would seriously make processed bulbs, so it can attract many people to start consuming bulbs?