Arsik is an
Indonesian spicy fish dish of the
Batak Toba and
Mandailing people of North Sumatra, usually using the
common carp
The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...
(known in Indonesia as ''ikan mas'' or gold fish).
Distinctively
Batak
Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, ...
elements of the dish are the use of
torch ginger fruit (''asam cikala''), and ''
andaliman'' (similar to szechuan pepper).
Common Indonesian vegetables and spices such as
shallots,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
,
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...
, fresh
turmeric root and
chili
Chili or chilli may refer to:
Food
* Chili pepper, the spicy fruit of plants in the genus ''Capsicum''; sometimes spelled "chilli" in the UK and "chile" in the southwestern US
* Chili powder, the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties ...
are also used.
Andaliman, essential for the distinctive taste of the dish, is known to grow only in the Batak highlands of
North Tapanuli and
Samosir, hence this dish is regarded as being specifically of the Batak Toba and Mandailing people, who dwell in these areas.
Other variations
Besides gold fish or carp, saltwater fish such as
rastrelliger (''kembung'') and
snappers
Snapper(s) may refer to:
Animals
* Lutjanidae, a family of fish known as snappers
**'' Lutjanus campechanus'', a fish found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast of the United States
** Bigeye snapper (''Lutjanus lutjanus''), a fish tha ...
can also be used to make arsik. A meat variant of arsik also exists, with pork as the commonly cooked meat.
See also
*
Batak cuisine
*
Escabeche
References
External links
Resep arsik yang sederhana
Batak cuisine
Fish dishes
{{Indonesia-cuisine-stub