TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Around a dozen of employees dressed in whites were seen busy handling the bread dough in a long table. Each has particular task as if they were robots, from making the dough, cutting it, and to shape it into bread. Some were passing back and forth to and from the oven.
In front of the store, an elderly lady happyly cutting a tumpeng (cone of rice) to celebrate her 134th birthday at Roti Ganep bread factory.
“Roti Ganep has survived for five generations,” said the factory’s owner Oh Lioe Nio.
Oh Lioe is the sixth generation of Roti Ganep’s managing family which was started by Auw Liek Nio in 1881. The store, is the first bakery in Solo and it signature bread is stick-shaped cookies known as kecik.
“Nowadays, it is still our main product,” said Oh Lioe.
Kecik bread is made of sticky rice powder, egg and cane sugar, which then baked in the oven.
“It has distinctive taste, many customers are looking for it.”
Despite of the length of the operating time, the store continues to run as small business because the owner wants it to be so.
“This recipe is actually the one that helps us survive,” Oh Lioe added.
Historian Heri Priyatmoko said history about bread is easily forgotten.
“In fact, bread has long history in this city,” Heri said.
During the Dutch colonial era, there were two prominent bakerys in Solo named Roti Ganep which is locaten in Mangkunegaran and Roti Babah Setoe which was located in Kasunanan. Uniquely, Mangkunegaran palace favorited breads sold at Roti Ganep while on the contrary, Kasunan palace favorited breads sold at Auw Liek Nio a.k.a. Nyah Ganep.
The fact proved that the cold conflict between Kasunanan and Mangkunegaran palace did not influence culinary culture.
“Both belly and tongue are neither fanatic nor stiff,” Heri added.
AHMAD RAFIQ
