Fried Getuk, A Legendary Dish From Sokaraja

There are a lot of food photos when we going through social media. Some of them are in unique shapes, cute color, and make people curious about the taste. Even though a lot of new foods are popping up, traditional foods are still sought after and hunted. Fried Getuk is one of them.

When visiting Banyumas, this Sokaraja dish is tend to buy as a souvenir. Sokaraja is one of the most highly populated sub-districts in Banyumas Regency. Furthermore, Sokaraja stands as a connecting area for the regencies of Banyumas, Purbalingga, and Banjarnegara. This is also why the fried getuk souvenir shop in Sokaraja is always filled with customers, despite the fact that there are a lot of stalls.

Fried Getuk was first made in 1918. He was Mr. Sanpirngad, the rames seller who first made fried Getuk. Pak Sanpirngad's rames stand, in addition to selling rames, also offered Getuk Cemol (getuk teles). Because the Getuk does not always sell out and is frequently thrown away, Pak Sanpirngad decided to reprocess it by frying it. Mr. Sanpirngad's rames booth had previously offered free fried getuk. Surprisingly, fried getuk appears to have a lot of fans. After 6 years, fried getuk is officially no longer available for free.

Until now, if we pass through Sokaraja, we would obviously come across several signs that state Getuk Goreng Asli H. Tohirin. Mr. Sanpirngad's son-in-law, H. Tohirin, maintains the fried getuk company. Several branches of H. Tohirin's family have already been passed down down the generations.

So, how does fried getuk taste like? How come the business can be passed down from generation to generation and yet thrive despite the introduction of numerous new foods?

Of course, it tastes sweet, just like getuk in general. Because of the flour that covers the getuk, the fried getuk has a slightly crispy savoury taste on the outside. Furthermore, the frying procedure improves the longevity of getuk. As a result, fried getuk makes a good gift. Especially for out-of-town tourists' gifts. The getuk will not stale, even if you have to travel for hours.

The ingredients for fried getuk are are easy to get. Cassava is the major component in fried getuk, as it is in all getuk. And cassava trees are plentiful in Sokaraja. Cassava was also a staple food in the past. After that, the cassava is cooked and mashed before being combined with the rest of the ingredients.

Second, palm sugar is what gives the sweet fried getuk its sweetness. The usage of palm sugar also helps to the dark color of this fried getuk. The fried getuk's chocolate surface is, of course, due to the frying procedure.

The dough is shaped into little pieces once all of the ingredients have been kneaded together. Before cooking, the dough is dipped in flour one last time. Then freshly cooked in a large amount of oil till browned.

The fried fried getuk is packaged in little besek. It's all set to be presented as a family gift at home.