TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - When I first landed in Sorong two years ago I was not sure what kind of snack I should bring back home. In my opinion, Papua is not popular for its snacks until a friend brought me a box of beef floss roll from Sorong. That was the first time I enjoyed the ‘Abon roll’ that turned out to be very popular.
I surrender to its delicacy at the very first bite of the roll. In fact, the kind of bread that made up the roll is similar to that made up the bread sold at famous stores except that the Papuan roll has a very thick bread. The floss inside the roll is even more abundant that it is overflowing out of the bread.
Years went by and I did not munch on the floss for a while after I returned to Papua. This time I went to Jayapura. When all my business were done and I was ready to go back home, I remembered the floss roll.
I stopped by the food truck near the entrance of Sentani airport to buy several boxes of the floss. I was still curious on the origin of the roll. My search on the internet came back with confusing answers. Some sources say the roll is originally from Sorong while the others say it is from Manokwari. I wonder which one is the real origin.
The floss is sold in two sizes: the bigger size is sold for Rp110,000 to Rp125,000 containing per box containing 10 rolls. A smaller-sized rolls are sold for Rp75,000 to Rp85,000 per box containing 10 rolls.
The bigger rolls only offered in original flavor with chicken, beef or fish floss. The smaller rolls are available in more flavors such as chocolate and cheese. I personally prefer the original. The taste of the floss really hit my tastebuds with tender-textured bread. The snack really deserves the pricey price.
When you visit Papua, you must consider to bring this food home. In many airports in Papua I always found counters that sell the Papuan distinctive roll. In Manokwari, the floss rolls produced by Hawaii Bakery is the most popular.
People carrying yellow-red boxes with picture of the floss printed on is a common view at the airports in Papua. This surely because there is hardly a match for the delicacy of the roll.
INDONESIANA| IPUL GASSING
