Sago – The Eastern Islands’ Staple: Indonesia

I have never been a great lover of Sago but when accompanied with other main dishes like fish or meat, it tends to be palatable. It is particularly used as a staple food in Sulawesi where it’s eaten daily with most dishes.

The flour of the sago plant (Metroxylon rumphii) is known as a useful flour or thickening agent around the world, but to enjoy sago at its best, pay a visit to the kitchens of the eastern islands of our archipelago as gastronome and epicurean el supremo Suryatini N. Ganie explains:

It is said that the sago plant originated from East Papua. When the plant reaches the age of about 10 years it will have several layers around the original stem and form a kind of sediment used as a staple, after undergoing a certain procedure. One tree is able to give about 800 to 1000 kilograms of sediment.

Among those who eat the sago sediment as a staple food are the inhabitants of Maluku and South Sulawesi. It is made into a flour-like substance that is then cooked into various foodstuffs.

In Maluku the fine sifted flour is made into a papeda, a rather thick porridge eaten daily with fish and other local dishes. South Sulawesi likes its pogalu or kapurung. Manado in North Sulawesi is on the sweet side with bagea.

To make papeda, the dried sago flour is finely sifted and then cold water is poured over it and stirred until completely mixed. Then boiling water is added and by stirring again the flour will thicken and is done.

Papeda is usually enjoyed with grilled fish and various soupy dishes and the unique “spoon” is formed like a “fork”. Another typical Maluku sago preparation is the sagu lempeng, raw sago in thin and flat sheets which are pressed into special earthenware forms and baked until done.

It then will be taken out of the forms and dried under the sun. This sago preparation is mostly enjoyed in the afternoon with a hot beverage. But some eat it also at breakfast.

In South Sulawesi, for example in Palopo, Tana Toraja, the fine flour which has been already mixed with boiling water is taken by two bamboo sticks called pedui, and by making circular movements the sago is formed into balls of approximately one tablespoon which then are put into a vegetable broth.

The vegetables are mostly kangkung, the leaves of the labu kuning (pumpkin), bayam (local spinach), and made into sayur bening, or vegetable bouillon.

Fish is sometimes added to the broth, small teri or anchovies. But the sago balls are also sometime put in a meat broth like a soup.

Sambal to make the dish more pungent consists of a handful of red chilies, tomato slices, trassi, salt and crushed fried, dried anchovies. Some tablespoons of lime juice are served too for those who like it hot and sour.

Going to the northern end of Sulawesi, the Manadonese bagea is raw sago flour mixed with kenari nuts, formed into balls and baked. The specific Manado bagea is a cylindric sago preparation of about eight cm and wrapped in sago leaves.

Watching the eagerness with which some people in our eastern islands obtain the sago is very interesting and I admire their patient tenacity.

Before cutting a sago tree, they make some incisions to know whether the tree contains enough sediment. When they are of the opinion that it will give a good result, they cut the tree and divide it in approximately two meter parts.

The center of the tree, sometimes called hati (hearth), which has a rather reddish color, is then beaten with a wooden stick called a nani until they resemble coarse pieces, which are put into a basket made of coconut leaves.

To make the pressing procedure of the coarse pieces easier they make it first into a fine substance. Finally they put it into a traditional sieve called sahani and press with their hands.

The liquid sago is put into a special pot made of a piece of a sago stem which has been discarded from the sediment.

The liquid obtained is not thrown away but after becoming clear it is slowly discarded, finally leaving the sediment. The sediment will be dried so it can be eaten. But as sago does not content sufficient nutritional agents, nutritious side dishes like fish or vegetables are usually eaten with the sago. Well, go sago.

Suryatini N. Ganie