Holiday Ayo -  Indonesia has culinary diversity that is identical and has a very strong taste. One of them is Lethek Noodles. Lethek Noodles is one of the traditional culinary specialties of Yogyakarta which specifically comes from the Bantul area.

Mie lethek means “ugly noodles,” dubbed so because the blend of cassava and sweet potato flours yields squiggly carbs of a pasty, grayish tint. 

More appealingly, the noodles have a delicate sweet-potato flavor and chewy texture. They’re a regional specialty of Yogyakarta, which is the last remaining Indonesian region to be ruled by a Sultanate. Served either fried or boiled, with eggs, chicken, vegetables, garlic, and candlenuts—an oily nut with a flavor similar to macadamia nuts—they are famously delicious. 

The presence of Lethek Noodles has existed since the 1920s. In past, a noodles company was founded by someone from the Middle East named Umar. Then, Umar brought Lethek noodles to Bantul because he was concerned about the people's need for food which was so high.

Until the 1940s, various Lethek noodles factories were established by the local community and are still operating today. At 101 years old, the Lethek noodles founded by Umar were able to help the local people's economy.

Uniquely, although no preservatives or other chemicals are added, dry lethek noodles can be stored and last up to three months.  

Not only are the ingredients different, but the way of making lethek noodles that have been maintained since their inception until now is also quite unique and much different from the usual noodle making. The process of making lethek noodles begins with mixing tapioca flour and cassava with a large mill in the form of a mortar.

Above the mortar used is a large stone weighing tons which are used to grind the ingredients for making lethek noodles until smooth. The heavy load of the mortar makes this work very heavy if it is done by human hands. So the cow's power is used to help the process of grinding the main ingredients for making the lethek noodles.

After the lethek noodles are well mixed, then the lethek noodle dough will be printed and compacted by trampling before being baked. After the flour mixture is cooked, the lethek noodle dough is then molded into long noodle sheets until finally dried in the sun to dry and packaged for marketing.

Although it is made traditionally and is priced relatively cheaply, it turns out that lethek noodles are included in the list of healthy foods. The use of fully plant-based ingredients makes lethek noodles recognized to have higher health benefits compared to wheat noodles.

Even lethek noodles are also considered safe and suitable for dieters because lethek is a noodle with low gluten content.