Are You A Culinary Enthusiast? Don't Miss These 7 Likupang’s Traditional Food and Cuisine

Traveling enriches your life and good food enriches your traveling experiences. Indulge in a wonderful variety of flavor and freshness on your Likupang trip; try some delectable authentic local cuisine. Based on recipes that have been passed through generations, the traditional dishes in Likupang are known for their spiciness. Here’s a list of 7 traditional foods that are all must-tries to truly experience the amazing Likupang cuisine:

1. Tinutuan Porridge

Give a healthy start to your day. Eat some appetizing tinutuan, a tasty and highly-nutritious popular breakfast food in Likupang. Tinutuan is a savory Manadonese porridge made up of rice and vegetables that include pumpkin, sweet potato, corn, and green leafy vegetables.

All the ingredients are cooked together with the rice and reduced to a thick consistency. Tinutuan is usually served with smoked or salted fish and a chili paste called sambal. 

2. Cakalang

Craving for some fish-based food? Try Cakalang fufu. Cakalang is Minahasan for skipjack tuna, while Cakalang fufu is smoked and cured skipjack tuna, a signature dish of Likupang.

It can be eaten with steamed rice and dabu dabu, a hot and spicy condiment, it can be used as a topping on fried noodles and tinutuan, it can be mixed with salads, or it can be cooked with Rica Rica, a hot and spicy bumbu.

3. Milu Siram

Locally known as Binte Biluhuta, Milu Siram is a corn soup made with prawn or fish meat. This dish has been around for centuries and originates from Gorontalo.

Bursting with flavors, this nutritious soup gets its sweetness from corn, its sourness from lime, and its spiciness from chilies. This unique combination of distinct flavors is a must-have on your Likupang trip.

4. Yellow Rice

Savor the delicious nasi Kuning, which means yellow rice. This aromatic rice dish, cooked with coconut milk and turmeric, is a popular food in Indonesia presented at festive occasions as a symbol of good fortune.

Each region has its own variant of yellow rice that’s served with each region’s own side dishes. In Manado, it’s usually served with spicy shredded skipjack tuna and condiments like fried potatoes or boiled eggs.

5. Pisang Goroho & Sambel Roa

Go bananas over this locally-grown, distinct-tasting banana called pisang goroho. It can be consumed in boiled or steamed form or it can be cut into thin slices and deep fried to make a tasty crispy savory snack.

Pisang Goroho is served with sambal Roa, a chili sauce made with smoked Roa fish.

6. Lalampa

Let the tempting lalampa complement your cup of tea or coffee in Likupang. This lump of glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk is filled with minced tuna, herbs, and spices.

Then it’s wrapped in a banana leaf, rubbed with oil, and grilled on a charcoal fire.

7. Panada

Panada is another local favorite that’s said to have a Spanish influence due to its resemblance to empanadas. The leavened dough is cut out and filled with fish meat, vegetables, and spices and deep-fried giving this crescent-shaped snack a soft bread-like texture on the outside.

So take a flight to Manado and then a 1.5-hour car ride will transport you to the stunning Likupang district. Soak in the beauty of the Pulisan beach and Paal beach or explore the underwater realms of Lihaga Island and Gangga Island. But remember, the trip is incomplete if you don’t tuck into Likupang’s mouth-watering traditional food. Happy snacking! (HR)