Liputan6.com, Sumenep – Among the various types of satai, Madura satai is one of the most popular. In fact, typical Indonesian culinary delights actually originate from Java and were brought to Madura Island through street traders.
Sumenep cultural observer Ibnu Hajar said that satai first entered Madura in the early 19th century. Initially, the satai that was brought was only seasoned with soy sauce and sliced shallots.
During its development, Madurese then added crushed fried peanuts, fried garlic slices and lime to add delicious taste.
“This satay was initially unknown in Madura when it was brought here. However, the satay that really developed and was caught by the Madurese people was chicken satay. That was the first,” said Ibnu to Liputan6.comFriday, February 24 2017.
After chicken satai was accepted by local people, the improvisation of satai recipes continued to develop with the arrival of Arabs to Madura Island. They were the ones who introduced that satai could not only be made from chicken, but also goat meat.
“In fact, along with this development, beef is also being satay,” he said.
According to him, the Madurese tongue changes the pronunciation of the word satai to satay. The word satai itself means pieces of meat sliced then skewered with bamboo and grilled using charcoal.
There are other differences in cooking satai before entering and after entering Madura Island. Ibnu revealed that the satai burning process initially used wood charcoal.
However, Madurese people have switched to using coconut shell charcoal which has a distinctive aroma because the source of the charcoal is quite easy to find on Salt Island.
“Moreover, in the area known as Salt Island, the people cultivate coconut plants, so the shells from which the seeds have been taken to make copra are then used as charcoal to burn satay,” said Ibnu.
By sailors and Dutch colonialists, Satai Madura was taken around the world. Now, satai has been widely accepted in various countries, especially in the Southeast Asia region.
“Our sailors like grilled food, like grilled fish. However, when they miss their local dishes and such, they try cooking satay,” said Ibnu.
