Manado, the gorgeous capital of North Sulawesi, has not only stunned the global trekkers with its colorful underwater world, but the food with rich spices, seafood, and fresh vegetables, is something substantial to take notice of, especially for foodies.
Although the weird ones like the grilled bats and rodents also play a major role in the local culinary, Manadonese cuisine always draws people’s interest.
Manadonese cuisine is marked by a mixture of native and foreign influences.
Native Minahasan cooking tradition relies heavily on seafood as well as exotic bushmeats, and its heavy use of freshly chopped hot spices.
It also demonstrates Chinese and European influences (especially Portuguese and Dutch), most prominent in soups, cakes, and pastries.
Cakalang fufu is a traditional Indonesian dish originating from Minahasa, North Sulawesi.
The dish consists of cured and smoked skipjack tuna that’s clipped on a bamboo frame. The fish is cured with a combination of salt, soda powder, and spices.
It is then smoked over coconut husks for about four hours and left to cool down for two hours.
If properly prepared, the meat will turn into a reddish hue and the texture will become slightly dry and crispy. The skipjack tuna has a shelf life of about a month, so it can also be bought as a gift by many travelers.
It’s recommended to serve cakalang fufu with steamed rice on the side.
