Lemea, a Unique Food from Rejang

Jakarta - Young bamboo shoot has been commonly known to be eaten by the people of South East Asia. A research by Panjab University in 2011 has revealed that bamboo shoot has been traditionally consumed by Chinese culture for more than 2,500 years. 

The research entitled 'Nutritional Properties of Bamboo Shoots: Potential and Prospects for Utilization as a Health Food' has revealed that bamboo shoots are not only tasty but also rich of nutrition.

Indonesia has various dishes that use bamboo shoots as the ingredient. In Rejang, Bengkulu province, bamboo shoots are cooked into a mouth-drooling dish called lemea. Lemea is a traditional dish of Rejang tribe in Bengkulu that is made of fermented bamboo shoots. The taste is more stinging and acidic compared to the regular bamboo shoots.

Lemea can mostly found in Seguring village, North Curup district and Duku Ilir village, Curup district. The one-month fermented bamboo shoots are thinly sliced and diced. Then, it is immersed in water for two days and mixed with half-cooked fish. 

Fatimah, one of the lemea makers, suggested to not putting too many fish into the dough. "If [the fish] too much, the color becomes black and it will ruin the flavor," she said. The dough is then precipitated for about a week before finally sold in small cups for one thousand rupiah each.

A resident of Semelako village, Murnawati, said that lemea is better to be sautéed together with chili pepper and lemongrass before eaten. "The original taste will be stronger," she said

Source : Tempo