Endemic Of Papua – If you were traveling in Papua, it feels incomplete if you don’t taste the typical food from the Earth of Cendrawasih. One of the special foods that must be tried is sago caterpillar.
Sago Caterpillars are often found in rotting sago tree trunks. And did you know that sago worms have been a culinary delight since prehistoric times.
Sago Caterpillars white in color and have a slightly dark head, this caterpillar has a fat body with a length ranging from 3 centimeters to 4 centimeters. Sago caterpillars have a slightly chewy texture.
When you eat a sago caterpillar, the first bite will release liquid and have a slightly savory and sweet taste. Sago caterpillars are usually eaten alive or can also be served grilled, cooked and so on.
Sago caterpillars contain protein and fat, with every 100 grams of sago caterpillars containing 181 calories with 6.1 grams of protein and 13.1 grams of fat..
These sago caterpillars come from sago trees that are cut and then left to rot. The rotting stems will produce caterpillars. To take the caterpillars, the sago stem is dismantled by an axe. The shape of the Sago Caterpillar varies, some are very small to some as large as the size of an adult’s thumb. Sago caterpillars are usually eaten directly (still alive) or cooked first, such as sauteed, vegetables, fried and made into satay.
It tastes sweet, salty and hard on the outside, soft on the inside. The meat in it contains high protein. The nutritional content of the sago caterpillar itself, every 100 grams of raw sago caterpillar that is to be cooked contains around 9.34% protein, it also contains several essential amino acids, such as aspartic acid (1.84%), glutamic acid (2.72% ), tyrosine (1.87%), lysine (1.97%), and methionine (1.07%). With a soft texture, slightly chewy and sweet and has high nutrition. It’s not surprising that local people really like this food
Usually, in the past, local people ate these sago caterpillars directly without cooking them first, but as time progressed, the Papuan people used to process these into Sago Caterpillar Satay. To make satay from sago caterpillars, the method is no different from making satay in general, namely by skewering it with a skewer and grilling it over hot coals. Once it feels cooked enough, the sago caterpillar satay is ready to be served with the usual satay spices. They usually eat Sago Caterpillar Satay with papeda or sago bread which they produce from sago trees. For those of you who visit Papua, it wouldn’t be complete without trying this unique culinary specialty. Sago Caterpillars are a must-try.