Masuk Dapur

One of the staple snacks on Jakarta public transport is Ginger Candy and Tamarind Sour Ball. The price is fairly cheap, IDR 1000 per pack of undefined quantity (small, very small). That’s about USD 0.1 (one ten cent?).

Ginger Candy like this are what I like to call ‘Generic’ item. They have brands like, ‘Sari Wangi’ or ‘Jahe Wangi’ or something like that.

They are composed of flour, tapioca, sugar and ginger root. Also mentioned on the packaging is dll, which means ‘other ingredients’. Now this could mean anything, from artificial sweetener to food coloring. Your guess is as good as mine.

As you can see on the label, there’s a location box on one corner. Well, it’s a box that mention a familiar location (in this case Kampung Rambutan).

I’m guessing this is the location of distribution or production. I’m doubtful as the supposed license number designate Sukabumi as the issuer, so this might be a product of Sukabumi ‘finest’.

Or, i might be wrong, maybe the location box is some sort of collectibles. Like collect all four kinds of card, where each card sports the name of a common bus station.

Anyway, the taste of the candy itself is still as i remember it from younger days. It’s predominantly sweet with a touch of ginger that soon will overrun the sweetness.

Expect some ginger shreds inside the chewy-rubbery candy body. Some small fragments of grated ginger root commonly exist in each saran-wrapped candy giving it a natural feeling of ginger, and also this adds to the overall warmth this candy brings on a rainy day.

The exterior of this candy is covered with sugar grains. This might be a little coarse for your taste, but dont worry they will melt soon enough. And you are better off chewing this whole confection than waiting for it to melt in your mouth anyway.

• Name: Permen Jahe Sari Wangi (Sari Wangi Ginger Candy)
• Location: Pasar Minggu, Jakarta
• Taste: Sweet, warm, gingery
• Aroma: gingery (eaten); none (unwrapped)
• Overall: fair price for quality ratio

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