TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Do you favor a sweet, tender ice cream melting in your mouth? Well, you can now have it as a fast breaking menu at the 2013 Arabian Night Foodfest (ANF) which is being held at La Piazza, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta on July 12 to July 28.
This year, the organizer offers Turkish Ice Cream as the featured menu at the festival, among other Turkish culinary. Surely, there is something different about this Turkish Ice cream.
"Other ice cream might be just water-based, but this ice cream used milk as the basic ingredient, so it will not melt too soon. In Turkey, the ice cream is mixed with goat and cow milk," said Serdal, the owner of Zahra Turkish Ice Cream, to Tempo on Friday, July 12.
Serdal, a 38 year-old Turkish man, started his distinctive Turkish ice cream business in late 2012. Initially, he was inspired to make the ice cream for his little daughter Zahra. He then named his ice cream stall 'Zahra'. Serdal then expanded his business to Thailand in 2009. He began to see Indonesia as a promising market and started his business with his three other colleagues here.
Different from regular ice creams, Zahra Ice Cream is more solid and sticky. He added a special ingredient to the ice cream, called Salep. "We use ingredient originated from Turkey called Salep, an orchid powder. The powder is made of dried orchid roots which are then pounded into powder. If it is added to the ice cream mixture, it will make the cream hard and sticky, so that it will not melt too soon," explained Serdal.
The ice cream's charming feat is not only from its special ingredient, But also from its selling technique. First, the costumer will be given a chance to choose their favorite flavor. There are 18 types of flavors from chocolate, vanilla, to strawberry. Then, using one meter long metal stick, the ice cream will then be mixed into the cone. The stall attendant will then perform an attraction by turning the cone tip upside down.
"People loves ice cream, this way, we can interact with foreign people and make them happy. We want to bring our costumers back to their childhood. Every time you taste ice cream, it will bring you back to your childhood," explained Serdal.
Serdal added that this is how they serve ice cream in Turkey. Every ice maker even has their own performance style. Aslan, the ice cream maker at Zahra has his tiger style in serving ice creams. One cone of Zahra ice cream is priced Rp25,000. Not only it is creamy, but customers are more than happy to come back again to the stall for experiencing happy childhood memories once more. "I have done several businesses, but I was not happy. But this ice cream business can make people happy, there are smiles on my costumers' faces," smiled Serdal while explaining.
NURUL MAHMUDAH
