Nagasari is a traditional
Javanese steamed
cake
Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate ...
, made of
rice flour
Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...
,
coconut milk
Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ...
and
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...
, filled with a slice of
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", disting ...
and wrapped in banana leaves.
Etymology
''Naga'' in Javanese language means "a big snake; a dragon".
It refers to a mythical green snake in the Old Java that brings fertility to the earth. The word is derived from a Sanskrit word ''naga''.
''Sari'' means "beautiful; fertile; patient" or "seed; flower".
''Nagasari'' literally means "the seed of the dragon" or "the beautiful dragon". Since the Javanese dragon is often depicted as a green snake, the food is thus given green color.
The word ''nagasari'' can also refer to: 1) a specific tree; 2) a specific batik pattern.
Variants
''Nagasari'' comes in green color (the most common) and white (less common). The green color comes from pandan leaves extract. White nagasaris are called ''legendo'' in
Magelang
Magelang () is one of six cities in Central Java that are administratively independent of the regencies in which they lie geographically. Each of these cities is governed by a mayor rather than a ''bupati''. Magelang city covers an area of 18. ...
.
In modern time, people start making different colors of nagasari. Blue nagasari, among them, gets its blue color from
butterfly pea flowers.
Nagasari is commonly sold in Indonesian traditional market as a
jajan pasar
''Jajan pasar'' (Javanese: market snacks) refers to traditional Javanese cakes sold in the Javanese markets.
Etymology
''Jajan'' in Javanese can mean 1) to buy food; or 2) snacks/food for sale. While ''pasar'' means "market". ''Jajan pasar'' t ...
.
See also
*
List of steamed foods
This is a list of steamed foods and dishes that are typically or commonly prepared by the cooking method of steaming.
Steamed foods
* Ada – a food item from Kerala, usually made of rice flour with sweet filling inside.
* Bánh – in Hanoi ...
*
Javanese cuisine
Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.
Definition
Javanese cuisine refers exclusively to the cuisine of Javanese people, ...
*
Indonesian cuisine
Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 popula ...
References
External links
Kue Nagasari recipe(in Indonesian)
Dumplings
Vegetarian dishes of Indonesia
Banana dishes
Kue
Steamed foods
{{indonesia-cuisine-stub