Solo (official name: Surakarta) is a town in Central Java that holds strong to its Javanese roots. For instance, in this little yet glorious city, you might still find heritage buildings like the Surakarta Palace. Additionally, it is a perfect place to shop for Traditional Dishes in Solo.
But other than that, Solo is also a place for food lovers, as the town offers a lot of tasty authentic dishes. Below is a list that’ll take your wanderlust all the way to Solo for the ultimate culinary tour.
1 | Timlo
This soothing bowl of savory soup is rich in proteins and veggies, so it’d surely calm that growling stomach. A bowl of spicy Timlo soup contains clear broth that is bombarded with a kind of fried egg roll into pieces, telur pindang(sweet boiled egg), stewed mushrooms, various veggies, poultry innards, and a sprinkle of fried crispy Asian shallots.
2 | Cabuk Rambak
Cabuk Rambak is a traditional noodle cuisine that is nearly impossible to find elsewhere in Indonesia. It’s usually considered as food or snack eaten between meals due to its modest portion. A yummy plate of Cabuk Rambak consists of ketupat (rice packaged inside of a diamond shaped container of woven palm leaves) drizzled in a pale brown sauce that contains roasted sesame seeds and coconut meat. To top it off, a few crispy rice crackers have been added to giving texture to the dish. Don’t be fooled by the easy look, and this dish is guaranteed to be memorable and leave you looking for more.
3 | Nasi Liwet
Nasi Liwet is a tasty rice dish comprised of various side dishes that can make your mouth water. Though some other regions have their very own versions of Nasi Liwet, the one in Solo is the best there’s. The salty rice has been cooked in coconut milk, poultry broth, bay leaves and lemongrass which makes it a tasty treat on its own. It’s then accompanied with a flavorsome array of side dishes, which include omelet or pindang egg (boiled egg cooked in sweet soybean sauce), shredded poultry cooked in coconut milk, hot pumpkin stew and areh (thick coconut sauce).
4| Serabi Solo
Don’t worry, and we didn’t forget about all you sweet tooths out there! Well, Solo has a yummy snack to satiate your craving for a few candy goodness named Serabi Solo. Don’t confuse this, nevertheless, with the other sorts of Serabi provided on the island of Java. This bite is made with rice mixed with coconut milk and after that fried similarly to the way pannekoek (Dutch pancakes) is fried. Some variations include toppings like bananas, chocolate sprinkles, cheese or jackfruit. Just watch out for all those calories because once you begin munching, you can not stop!
Two red side strips are then sewn on the whole piece, making this type of large ulos. Today, around Lake Toba it isn’t easy to come across women weaving in front of their homes. But genuinely traditional ulos fabrics continue to be made in the 3 villages of Tongging, Paropo, and Silalahi – known as sitelu huta – on the northeast coast of Lake Toba. Nevertheless, trading areas are in Pematang Siantar or Balige. You could also easily find a lot of ulos sold in souvenir shops or handicraft kiosks in Tomok or even Tuktuk.
