Holiday Ayo - Apart from being known for its culture and attractions, Mentawai also has traditional culinary delights that deserve to be highlighted. Not only sago and taro which are staple foods, the Mentawai people also process unusual ingredients as delicious dishes, such as wood worms, sago caterpillars, to crabs which are endemic to the area.

Mentawai is actually an archipelago district located on the island of Sumatra and the area is surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Mentawai is part of a series of non-volcanic islands and this group of islands is the crest of an underwater mountain ridge.

The district consists of four main island groups, namely Siberut Island, Sipora Island, North Pagai Island, and South Pagai Island, which are predominantly inhabited by the Mentawai and Minangkabau people.

source: trippers.id

If you have the opportunity to visit the Mentawai, of course, you must take the time to taste its culinary specialties that are difficult to find in other areas. One of them is Batra.

As in Papua, the Mentawai people are also used to eating sago caterpillars called batra. This caterpillar has a cream colored body with a brown head and 3-4 cm long.

Batra is a source of protein, fat and high nutrients in addition to fish and meat. Usually, batra is consumed after the sago harvest, which will be their main food. After sago is cut down, within three months the larvae will appear and will be harvested as a side dish.

source: lifestyle.okezone.com

The easiest way to process this sago caterpillar is to make satay. Simply stabbed in the bamboo, given a little salt, and burned over coals. Once cooked, the satay batra will taste delicious and have a delicious aroma from the burning process.

Besides making satay, batra can also be cooked in bamboo. For this method, the caterpillar's stomach must be sliced first and then inserted into the bamboo, and burned. Although cooked without water, when cooked, the batra will be watery yellowish and ready to be eaten with sago.

Then, batra can also be sauteed with a mixture of young coconut water or smoked on a fireplace until the color is black and dry.