A visit Yogyakarta is not complete without a visit Borobudur and Prambanan. Regardless of where you go and see in Yogyakarta, it is even more incomplete if you don’t try these specialty foods from Yogyakarta:
- Gudeg
Gudeg is the ‘icon’ of Yogyakarta culinary heritage. This dish is made from raw jackfruit, cooked in thick coconut milk for few hours until the coconut milk is absorbed to the jackfruit and its color turns red. It tastes savory and a little bit sweet. This dish is usually served along with steamed rice, duck eggs and opor ayam (chicken curry). Nowadays Gudeg is available in canned package and often bought for gifts from Yogyakarta as a souvenir. - Bakpia
This snack is the most-wanted specialty oleh-oleh (gift) from Yogyakarta. The sweet treat is made from green bean mixture, and wrapped in thin flour crust. Now Bakpia comes in various flavors from cheese, milk, chocolate, pineapple, and many more. - Geplak
Geplak is Yogyakarta’s specialty snack, made from shredded coconut meat that is mixed with sugar. It looks very tempting with various colors and the sugar glaze coating it. Just like Bakpia, now you can find other variants of Geplak, such as chocolate, durian, strawberry, and orange-flavored Geplak. - Sate Klathak
Sate Klathak is actually a kind of Sate Kambing or lamb satay. What makes this Satay unique is how the meat chunks are skewered with spokes of the wheels. And the secret spice of its delicious flavor is only…salt! Curious on how tasty it is? - Yangko
This is the ‘mochi cake’ of Yogyakarta. This colorful snack is from rice flour, so no wonder if the texture is very chewy and a little bit sticky. Usually each of Yangko is wrapped with colorful oil papers. It tastes very similar to mochi cake from Japan, and now Yangko is available in many flavors just like Geplak and Bakpia. - Tiwul
Tiwul is originated from Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta. It is made from crushed cassava, and people of Gunung Kidul consume this as alternate food beside of rice. Tiwul is cooked with palm sugar and served hot with shredded coconut. - Jadah Tempe
Jadah Tempe consists of two kinds of foods: Jadah (ground glutinous rice cake) and tempe bacem (tempe cooked in coconut water and palm sugar). So, it is basically rice cake with tempe as condiments. Usually Jadah Tempe is consumed along with raw cabe rawit (cayenne peppers) as snack in the evening. - Kipo
Kipo is one of specialty snacks from Kotagede, Yogyakarta. It is said that the snack was named after Javanese words iki opo (‘what is this’ in English). This chewy treat is made from glutinous rice flour, and filled with sweet shredded coconut. - Cethil
Snacks from Yogyakarta are mostly chewy and sticky. Cethil is another colorful, chewy snack from Yogyakarta, made from sago flour. It is then coated in shredded coconut meat. This snack is usually sold in traditional markets around Yogyakarta. - Mangut Lele
Mangut Lele is specialty dish of Mataraman (Yogyakarta – Solo, West Java). The main ingredient of this dish is lele or catfish. Catfishes are skewered with midrib of coconut leaves, and grilled on firewood. After the catfish is cooked, it is then cooked in spicy coconut milk gravy. Mangut Lele is a must-try dish if you love spicy coconut milk gravy dishes.
So, while visiting Yogyakarta, make sure your tummy also enjoys the vacation by trying these must-try Yogyakarta dishes!
