Endah Palupi has a deep love for Javanese culture. One of the things is culinary. In Sanggrahan, Bantul, Yogyakarta, Endah opened “Toko Bothok Angkring”, a stall that specifically sells bothok, a Javanese delicacy wrapped in banana leaves. “There are 41 kinds of bothok in our stall.” She proudly said.
What? FORTY-ONE? Yes. There is a line of 100% leafy bothok, bothok mlanding/lamtoro (wite lead tree), kemangi (basil), kecombrang (ginger flower), jantung pisang (banana blossom), kelor (moringa), etc. There is also a line of water fauna bothok such as snakehead fish, catfish, tilapia fish, nile tilapia fish, snail, etc. Then there is a line of ocean fauna bothok such as shellfish, crabs, mackerel, etc.
Endah is convinced that local food is part of sovereignty. The raw materials are widely available in our surrounding. Local delicacy also requires us to preserve the nature and environment, to explore and plant various plantations. “So, this is actually a part of ecological hijrah.” Said this graduate of Nusantara Literature of UGM.
That afternoon I tried sayur lodeh (lodeh vegetable soup), bothok mlanding and shrimp pasted sambal. Tasted fantabulous! The consistency of coconut milk in the lodeh was not too thick, the spices were perfect. Also for the bothok mlanding or lamtoro, tasty and spicy. So delicious. What a great combination.
The customers of this Toko Bothok Angkring has grown quite significantly. Families, communities, those who are craving for old-fashioned vintage food will come and visit, chit-chatting for hours with the talkative-happy owner of the stall.
Food is not the only attraction of this Toko Bothok. Endah deliberately equips her stall with various other stuff. Using her network, she invited local artists to create “Local Products Fever”. Once a month, a Pasar Senggol (something like the traditional market) is held in Toko Bothok. There are leather bag and shoemakers, batik seller, coffee seller, etc. “Soon, we will also include massage therapists too. The more, the merrier.”#puanindonesia#Yogyakarta#perempuanpengusaha#entrepreneur#womenstory ⠀
