6 Lesser Known Traditional Food from West Papua, Must Try!

West Papua is one of Indonesia’s regions famous for its food diversity. However, when people talk about traditional food from West Papua, the first one that comes up is Papeda. In fact, there are still many other traditional foods that exist in West Papua. It is delicious, so you must try it.

Almost every region in West Papua has its special food. It happens because there are many native tribes of West Papua. They have their uniqueness and characteristics that differentiate them from the other tribes. Here are the lists of lesser-known traditional food from every area in West Papua!

1. Traditional Food of Raja Ampat: Sea Worms (Cacing Laut)

The first one on the list is probably sea worms. It is a traditional food from Raja Ampat Province. It might sound extreme, but it is probably tasty. The texture is chewy, similar to an octopus. Usually, these worms will be easy for you to find on white sand when the sea water recedes.

Then, you can clean the worm from the remnants of the sand. After that, you can roast it in an asar. Asar is one of the traditional roast tools of West Papua. It is a mixture of coconut fiber and a little firewood. The taste of sea worms becomes even richer with the mixture of spices and roasted with asar.

2. Traditional Food of Sorong: Abon Roll Bread (Roti Gulung Abon)

When you visit Sorong, it is incomplete if you do not taste the abon rolls bread. It is one of the traditional foods from Sorong, which is suitable for those who love bread. In addition to the sweet taste of bread, your tongue will also feel the savory flavor.

The savory taste comes from the shredded meat in the bread. Locals call that meat abon. The sweetness of the bread and the savory flavor of the abon will surely be tasty. So, you must try it if you visit Sorong City.

3. Traditional Food of Manokwari: Colo-Colo Sambal (Sambal Colo-Colo)

Basically, traditional Indonesian food is inseparable from sambal. It is also what happened in West Papua, to be precise, in Manokwari. The capital of the West Papua Province also has a special chili sauce that you must try. Locals call it the colo-colo sambal, one of the traditional foods from Manokwari.

The sauce is made of chili, onion, salt, and a little tomato. It is a complementary food that goes well with Manokwari grilled fish.

4. Traditional Food of Fakfak: Lontar Cake (Kue Lontar)

Then, there is lontar cake, one of the traditional foods from Fakfak that you should try. This cake is one of the Dutch heritage cakes in the land of Papua. Its original name is Roomtaart, which means cream tarts. However, local people are more fluent in calling it lontar cake.

Usually, you can see lontar cake during big days in Fakfak and in West Papua. For example, Christmas, Eid Al-Fitr, and other big days.

5. Traditional Food of Kaimana: Kima Clams (Kerang Kima)

If you visit Kaimana Regency, then you probably need to try the kima clams. It is one of the traditional foods from Kaimana. Kima clams are large clams that live in warm waters. The taste is not much different from sashimi. Besides being eaten raw, you can also cook it with special spices of Kaimana.

6. Traditional Food of Wondama Bay: Tau

The next one on the list is called tau. It is one of the traditional foods from Wondama Bay. The main ingredient for making tau is sago and grated coconut. Then, mix those two ingredients and wrap them in sago leaves. After that, you can roast it on coals.

So, that is the lesser-known traditional food from West Papua. All of them are probably unique and tasty. So, you definitely need to taste it when visiting West Papua.