''Cakalang fufu'' is a
cured and
smoked
Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food, particularly meat, fish and tea, by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood.
In Europe, alder is the traditional smoking wood, but ...
skipjack tuna
The skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'') is a perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae, and is the only member of the genus ''Katsuwonus''. It is also known as katsuo, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna or victor fish. ...
clipped on a
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
frame, a
Minahasan delicacy of
North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is mainly located on the Minahasa Peninsula of the island of Sulawesi, south of the Philippines and southeast of Sabah, Malaysia, but also includes various small archipel ...
, Indonesia.
Process
After the ''cakalang'' (Minahasan for skipjack tuna) fish is cleaned (scaled and gutted), the flesh of the ''cakalang'' is split into two parts and clipped to a bamboo frame that has been prepared previously. Then the fish meat is cured using
soda powder,
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
, and some spices for flavouring. The cakalang meat later undergoes the
smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...
process; the heat of fire and smoke must be evenly distributed so that all parts of fish are exposed to the heat, done, and dried. The tuna meat curing process takes about four hours and the cooling process takes about two hours. The process goes on until the color of the skipjack tuna turns reddish and the meat texture is rather dry and not watery.

If processed correctly, cakalang fufu could last for a month, thus can be distributed throughout Indonesia as processed
seafood
Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...
. In North Sulawesi, cakalang fufu is a popular dish and often bought by travellers as gifts. Although it is well known throughout Eastern Indonesia, the main production center more precisely is the fishing town of
Bitung
Bitung, officially the City of Bitung (), is a coastal city at the north-eastern edge of the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Bitung is located in the province of North Sulawesi (), and faces Lembeh Island (which forms two districts of the city) ...
, North Sulawesi.
Cakalang fufu can be heated or fried and directly consumed with
steamed rice
Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Asian rice (both indica and japonica varieties), African rice or wild rice, glutino ...
accompanied with ''dabu-dabu'' (Minahasan
sambal
Sambal is an Indonesian chili sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of chillis with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste (terasi), garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an Indonesia ...
), or become the ingredient of other dishes, such as mixed with
potato salad
Potato salad is a salad dish made from boiled potatoes, usually containing a dressing and a variety of other ingredients such as boiled eggs and raw vegetables. It is usually served as a side dish.
History and varieties
Potato salad is foun ...
, sprinkled upon
noodle
Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...
s or
tinutuan
Tinutuan, also known as ''bubur manado'' or Manadonese porridge, is a specialty of the Manado cuisine and a popular breakfast food in the city of Manado and the surrounding province of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Ingredients
Tinutuan is a congee ...
, or cooked as spicy rica-rica with
chili pepper
Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...
. It has a strong smoky flavor, thanks to being cooked over burning coconut husks.
Product distribution
Cakalang fufu products can be found in major cities across Indonesia.
A common problem for local producers of cakalang fufu is raising the capital necessary to expand production. To solve this problem the
Ministry of Industry (Indonesia)
Ministry of Industry () is an Indonesian ministry. The ministry is under, and is responsible to, the President of Indonesia.
History
The industrial portfolio was under Ministry of Welfare () from 1945 to 1950. In 1950, industrial portfolio was ...
provides concessional loans (
soft loan
A soft loan is a loan with a below-market rate of interest. This is also known as ''soft financing''. Sometimes, soft loans provide other concessions to borrowers, such as long repayment periods or interest holidays. Soft loans are usually provi ...
s) through local governments.
Local governments also participate in fairs and festivals to increase public awareness of cakalang fufu.
See also
*
Smoked fish
Smoked fish is fish that has been cured by smoking. Foods have been smoked by humans throughout history. Originally this was done as a preservative. In more recent times, fish is readily preserved by refrigeration and freezing and the smoking o ...
*
Smoked salmon
*
Kipper
A kipper is a whole herring, a small, oily fish, that has been split in a butterfly fashion from tail to head along the dorsal ridge, gutted, salted or pickled, and cold-smoked over smouldering wood chips (typically oak).
In the United Kin ...
*
Bloater
*
Buckling
In structural engineering, buckling is the sudden change in shape (Deformation (engineering), deformation) of a structural component under Structural load, load, such as the bowing of a column under Compression (physics), compression or the wrin ...
*
List of smoked foods
This is a list of smoked foods. Smoking (cooking), Smoking is the process of seasoning, flavoring, cooking, or food preservation, preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Foods have been smoke ...
*
List of tuna dishes
This is a list of notable tuna dishes, consisting of foods and dishes prepared using tuna as a primary ingredient. Tuna is a versatile ingredient that is used in a variety of dishes, including entrees, sandwiches, sushi, salads, appetizers, soups ...
References
External links
Cakalang Fufu Potato Salad recipe(in Indonesian)
(in Indonesian)
(in Indonesian)
{{Indonesian cuisine
Smoked fish
Tuna dishes
Fish processing
Indonesian seafood dishes
Manado cuisine