TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Banyuwangi Chinatown Festival was held this weekend in the Tri Dharma Place of Worship (TITD) Hoo Tong Bio area, Karangrejo, Banyuwangi. A variety of typical Chinese culinary delights were presented in the Chinese New Year celebratory festival.

One of the favorites in the festival was the Peking duck. This typical Beijing dish is made from duck roasted with spices until the skin is crispy and red in color.

Peking duck is usually enjoyed with Mandarin bread, hoisin sauce, cucumber slices, and green onions. "We have been selling Peking duck since 2010. The recipe has been passed down from our ancestors," said Liem, aged 52, one of the Peking duck sellers at the Banyuwangi Chinatown Festival.

Chinese delicacies

Dozens of rows of stands at this festival offered various other classic Chinese culinary delights, such as Hainanese rice and char siu chicken. Hainanese rice is rice cooked in chicken stock and ginger, served with boiled chicken, chili sauce, and ginger sauce.

Meanwhile, the char siu chicken is seasoned with sweet soy sauce, light soy sauce, honey, and other spices, then grilled until red. Complementing these foods, visitors can also enjoy other typical Chinese snacks.

Apart from MSMEs and home culinary practitioners, hotel chefs in Banyuwangi also participated in the festival; such as the Aston Hotel, El Royale, Luminor, New Surya, and others.

Held every weekend

Chinatown Street Food will be held regularly, transforming into a thematic market specifically for Chinese delicacies. Dozens of MSMEs will be involved in selling various Chinese snacks and Banyuwangi culinary delights around TITD Hoo Tong Bio.

"By holding it every weekend, apart from being a new culinary tourism destination, we hope it can also stimulate the local economy," said Banyuwangi Regent Ipuk Fiestiandani.

DAVID PRIYASIDHARTA

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