Culinary

Pi Oh Tim

Batavia and its surrounding as a meeting place for many ethnics has so many culinary. Although people who came to Batavia originated from everywhere in the world, once they live in here, their tongue will be similar in tasting the special culinary of Batavia. 
 

There are tens of Batavian foods, nowadays is called Betawi food. Usually, they are a mixture of  coconut milk, vegetable, and meat. There are also beverages special to Betawi such as Bir Pletok. Thin beverage is made of coconut palm sugar and ginger without alcohol. In the ancient time, when the Dutch was still in Batavia, this town was also famous with beer industry, produced in hinterland, called ommelanden.
 

The famous asinan Betawi for instance, it is made of vegetable, vinegar and Kerupuk (chips made of flour . Usually people like to eat it in the afternoon several hours after lunch.  In tropical temperature of Jakarta reaching 33 degree Celcius, eating asinan Betawi and a glass of ice tea is a must. Until late in the afternoon, the restaurant or foodstall selling asinan is very busy serving their guests
 

There are also the famous soup called soto betawi, made of Coconut milk, meat, vegetable with emping, chip from the fruit of belinjo. Almost every place in Jakarta there are hawkers who sold the soup day and night, as people eat it in lunch or dinner. People eat the soup in a bowl with rice in a plate. It would be nice to eat it with various fried food and a glass of ice tea.
 

A special food should be mentioned is Kerak Telor. This food is a traditional snack made of sticky rice, egg, dried shrimps, and once again coconut that is mix with ginger, greater galingale, and pepper. In anthropological side it is difficult to say weather a certain food is originated from Batavia. However, since in Batavia lived the Dutch, Kerak Telor could be originated from omelet, a food that is favourite among the Dutch. Unlike the Dutch who eat omelet for breakfast, Kerak Telor is enjoyed at any time. 
 

When we walk into the chinese quarter Glodok, there is a narrow alley that in full of food vendors. There are hundreds kind of food sold at the alley side. The venodor will friendly offer us their foodstuff. Among them is Pi-Oh tim, soup made of turtle meat, it is a very special of Chinese Batavian Food.  Normally people eat with rice and cakwe, fried wheat and tomato sauce.

Of course when we talk about the Chinese Batavian Food that we may not forget is the Batavian chicken noodle. People eat the noodle normally in the morning. Although noodle came from china, but Batavian Chicken noodle has different taste with the one in South China where the Chinese of Jakarta came from.