''Kemplang'' is an Indonesian traditional savory

fish cracker Fish crackers are deep fried crackers made from fish and spices that serve as flavouring, originated from Indonesia. The crackers also mixed with tapioca flour and/or sago flour as the main ingredients and the salt, sugar and MSG as seasoning ...

(''

krupuk ''Krupuk'' ( Javanese), ''kerupuk'' ( Indonesian), ''keropok'' ( Malay), ''kroepoek'' ( Dutch) or ''kropek'' (Tagalog) is a cracker made from starch or animal skin and other ingredients that serve as flavouring. Most krupuk are deep fried, ...

ikan'')

snack A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snacks are ...

commonly found in southern parts of

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

. Kemplang crackers are commonly made of ''ikan tenggiri'' (

wahoo Wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh makes it a prized and valued game fish. In Hawaii, the wahoo is ...

) or any type of

Spanish mackerel Scomberomorini is a tribe of ray-finned saltwater bony fishes that is commonly known as the Spanish mackerels, seerfishes or seer fish. This fish closely resembles the King Mackerel. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae) ...

, mixed with

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America ...

starch and other flavorings, sun-dried and then grilled or fried. The shape of a kemplang is similar to Japanese

senbei are a type of Japanese rice cracker. They come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, usually savory but sometimes sweet. Senbei are often eaten with green tea as a casual snack and offered to visiting house guests as a courtesy refreshment. ...

cracker. It is flat and round with whitish color, sometimes with dark burnt acquired from grilling process. Kemplang is usually consumed with a sour and spicy

sambal Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients, such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an ...

chili paste.

History

The name ''kemplang'' derived from local

Palembang language Palembang, also known as Palembang Malay (), or Musi, is a Malayic language primarily spoken in about two thirds of South Sumatra Province in Indonesia, especially along the Musi River. It consists of two separate but mutually intelligible dial ...

which means "to hit" to refer the process of flattening the krupuk dough. Kemplang was developed in coastal town in southern parts of Sumatra which traditionally includes

South Sumatra South Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The prov ...

Bangka Belitung The Bangka Belitung Islands ( id, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung) is a province of Indonesia. Situated off the southeastern coast of Sumatra, the province comprises two main landmasses— Bangka and Belitung—and numerous smaller islands. Bangka Beli ...

and

Lampung Lampung ( Lampung: ), officially the Province of Lampung ( id, Provinsi Lampung) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. It has a short border with the province of Bengkulu to the northwest, and ...

provinces. In

Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...

, kemplang home industry is often linked to

pempek ''Pempek'', ''mpek-mpek'' or ''empek-empek'' is a savoury Indonesian fishcake delicacy, made of fish and tapioca, from Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia. Pempek is served with rich sweet and sour sauce called ''kuah cuka'' or ''kuah cuko'' ...

industry, as both uses almost identical ingredients; wahoo fish and tapioca. Kemplang crackers are more likely to be fried in Palembang and Bangka, while in Lampung, kemplang crackers are commonly grilled on charcoal. Kemplang is often sought as ''oleh-oleh'' (foodstuff gift or souvenir) by those who visited Palembang,

Bandar Lampung Bandar Lampung (Lampung language, Lampung: , ''Kutak Bandarlampung'', formerly Dutch language, Dutch: ''Oosthaven'', lit. "Eastern Harbor") is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of Lampun ...

, or Bangka. Today, kemplang made by home industries in southern Sumatra has been widely distributed, available in marketplaces and supermarkets in Indonesian cities, such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Medan.

Production centers

Kemplang commonly produced by home industries in Palembang, Bandar Lampung, and Bangka island. In Palembang, the demands of kemplang cracker usually increased during '' lebaran'' (Eid ul-Fitr) holiday.

References

{{Indonesian cuisine, state=collapsed Indonesian cuisine Crackers (food) Fish dishes Palembang cuisine

History

Production centers

See also

References