15 Recommendations for Delicious and Most Popular Traditional Market Snacks

Indonesia is indeed famous for its various culinary specialties that can be enjoyed on different occasions. Usually, each region has its own culinary characteristics that can be enjoyed by both locals and visitors. When it comes to snacks, there are many types of cakes that you can find in various regions, and they are usually sold in markets.

Market snacks are the term for various types of snacks that you can find and buy in the market. There are many delicious types of market snacks that are usually served at home. Although they are traditional foods, market snacks are still popular and are often creatively modernized. Now, here are some market snacks that are definitely delicious.

1. Lemper

This market snack seems to be the most popular throughout Indonesia. Yes, you might immediately imagine the aroma of lemper wrapped in banana leaves. Although small, this sticky rice snack filled with chicken or shredded beef is loved by everyone. Whenever you get a snack box, there's almost always lemper in it!

2. Pastel

This savory and crispy market snack is also often chosen as a favorite menu by many people. It's no wonder that many people also create variations of the pastel menu. Although the most popular pastel is filled with vegetables, it's not uncommon to find additional toppings of eggs, meat, or even spicy chili to enjoy with other market snacks.

3. Kue lumpur

Don't worry, the name of this cake won't look like mud. Unlike its name, kue lumpur has a soft texture and a fragrant aroma. Usually, the cake batter is mixed with potato dough to make it more delicious and tasty. It is often topped with raisins or creatively adorned with toppings of cheese, sprinkles, and so on.

4. Risoles

You must have often found risoles in the market. This market snack wrapped in breadcrumbs is also made in various ways with modern toppings like cheese, mayonnaise, smoked beef, and so on. Risoles are even sold in frozen form so you can enjoy them warm with chili sauce or spicy chili.

5. Getuk

This traditional snack made from boiled cassava is also as popular as kue lumpur. Usually, the most popular getuk is getuk lindri. Its shape resembles noodles that are compacted and cut into long squares. Getuk lindri is served with grated coconut and a little sugar.

6. Kue talam

This cake is commonly found in snack boxes and is green with a white layer on top. Kue talam is made from sago flour, rice flour, and flavored with pandan or suji leaves. This soft and delicious market snack is a typical Betawi delicacy!

7. Bolu kukus

If you're looking for a market snack that kids love, you can choose bolu kukus. Like a large cake batter, bolu kukus has a small shape and is made from a mixture of eggs, butter, and sweet sugar. Usually, bolu kukus is made with chocolate, pandan, or vanilla flavoring that has a fragrant aroma.

8. Kue apem

This cake may look similar to bolu kukus, but its texture is different because its base is made from rice flour and fermented cassava. Kue apem has a unique taste and in certain regions, it is served with liquid palm sugar, which is more popularly known as kinca.

9. Onde-onde

This market snack filled with mung beans is coated with a thin, crispy skin made from wheat flour and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Onde-onde is usually made in small shapes and sold alongside molen bananas. However, the normal size of onde-onde is usually the size of a ping pong ball.

10. Nagasari

This wet cake snack is made from a base of rice flour, sago flour, and coconut milk filled with bananas. The combination of savory and sweet flavors from the bananas makes nagasari a family favorite market snack. Nagasari is wrapped in banana leaves, so you should ask before buying if you want to try it.

11. Kue lapis

As the name suggests, this sweet market snack with a fragrant aroma consists of layers of batter that are usually cut into squares. This cake is made from rice flour, starch, coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Usually, the popular kue lapis bought is the green or brown one made from natural pandan or chocolate coloring.

12. Kue sus

This kue sus actually comes from the name choux, which is a French pastry snack. The filling of kue sus is usually a vanilla-flavored custard. Now, you can also find kue sus with various modern fillings like chocolate, matcha, coffee, and so on. There are also kue sus filled with whipped cream with a thin and crispy outer layer.

13. Dadar gulung

You will find this market snack with a bright green color. However, there are also dadar gulung that are naturally white from a mixture of flour and eggs. Dadar gulung is actually a wet cake snack like a pancake with a thin skin filled with sweet grated coconut mixed with palm sugar. This thin layer of cake is rolled up and usually packaged with plastic, hence it is known as dadar gulung.

14. Serabi

This market snack is also as popular as other traditional snacks. While other snacks only have toppings according to their sweet or savory batter, serabi can be eaten with various delicious toppings . The traditional version of serabi can be found with a mixture of kinca and coconut milk sauce, plain serabi, and oncom serabi.

However, have you ever walked around Bandung and gone to the Setiabudhi area? You will find many small stalls selling various types of serabi with trendy toppings like cheese, sausage, chicken, and many more. In Bandung, the serabi made from rice flour and coconut milk is more popularly known as surabi.

15. Comro

Cassava is indeed a primary ingredient that is easy to process into various types of food. As one of the sources of starch, cassava has a neutral taste that is good for combining with savory or sweet flavors.

Comro, which stands for oncom di jero, is Sundanese for oncom inside. Yes, this grated cassava dough will be filled with oncom, which is usually mixed with chili, making it spicy, fresh, and addictive. It's no wonder this market snack is often found at street vendors selling fried foods.

Well, those are some recommendations for market snacks that are traditional foods from various regions. Market snacks are now not only found in markets. Many cake shops also provide market snacks to be packaged as cake boxes or even wedding gifts decorated uniquely and loved by families.

Author: Rizkita Darajat