Experience the authentic taste of Balikpapan through its unique and delicious specialties, such as mantau bread, banana gapit, and crab peyek, which are ready to pamper your taste buds.
As a fast-growing city on the coast of East Kalimantan, Balikpapan has many unique features that cover various aspects, including its culinary diversity. This city is famous for its abundant seafood, which is then processed into delicious dishes.
Apart from pampering the tongue, this typical Balikpapan food is often used as a souvenir for tourists. Here is a complete review of some dishes you need to try when visiting Balikpapan.
1. Mantau Bread
Balikpapan’s signature mantau bread is made from wheat flour, yeast, sugar, and milk, resulting in a soft texture on the inside and crispy on the outside after being fried until golden brown. This food is very popular as a snack or tea time companion.
This Mantau can be enjoyed with a variety of toppings such as brown sugar, cheese, or jam. This bread, which is usually served warm, has the right sweet and soft taste, making it one of Typical Balikpapan Food delights that you must try.
2. Banana Gapit
Pisang gapit is one of Balikpapan’s iconic snacks made from grilled or fried kepok bananas. Once cooked, the bananas are served with a sweet and savory brown sugar and thick coconut milk sauce, combined with fresh pieces of jackfruit.
The combination of the flavors of banana, sweet sauce, and jackfruit aroma creates a delicious sensation in every bite. Pisang gapit is widely found in traditional markets or street vendors in Balikpapan.
3. Crab Floss
Crab floss is one of Balikpapan’s unique and different processed products. This shredded meat is made from crab meat that is ground and fried until dry with special spices. The result is a crunchy texture with a rich, savory crab flavor.
Crab floss is perfect as an accompaniment to rice or just as a snack. Its practical packaging also makes it a souvenir that is durable and easy to take home.
4. Scissors Porridge
Bubur Potong is a typical Balikpapan food made from sticky rice flour. This flour dough is mixed with pandan leaves, salt, and lime water, then formed into small pieces that are cooked with coconut milk and brown sugar.
This porridge has a delicious sweet taste and is best served warm. The green color of the pandan leaves and the chewy texture make the bubur pipis have an attractive appearance and are appetizing.
5. Potato Bingka Cake
Bingka cake is a traditional Banjar food that is also a favorite in Balikpapan, especially the bingka potato version. Made from a mixture of potatoes, flour, sugar, and eggs, this cake has a soft texture and just the right amount of sweetness.
The baking process uses charcoal, which adds a distinctive aroma to the cake. Bingka potatoes also come in various flavors, such as cheese, pandan, and chocolate. This cake is often made as a souvenir because it tastes delicious and is easy to find in specialty cake shops in Balikpapan.
6. Purple Sweet Potato Onde-onde
Balikpapan’s signature purple sweet potato onde-onde offers a different color from ordinary onde-onde. The onde-onde skin is made from purple sweet potato and glutinous rice flour, resulting in a beautiful natural purple color.
Inside is a soft sweet green bean filling, while the outer layer is sprinkled with sesame seeds which give it a crunchy texture. The combination of sweet and savory flavors makes this purple sweet potato onde-onde a delicious and satisfying snack.
7. Amplang
Amplang is a typical Balikpapan cracker made from fish and sago flour. It tastes savory and crunchy with a strong fish aroma.
Amplang comes in various variants, such as original, onion, black pepper, to BBQ, providing a variety of choices for snack lovers. Amplang is very suitable as a souvenir for the family because of its distinctive taste and practical packaging.
8. Seafood Grilled Rice
Seafood grilled rice is a dish that utilizes Balikpapan’s abundant seafood. Rice that has been seasoned with spices is wrapped in banana leaves, then grilled until cooked.
It contains various seafood such as fish, shrimp, and crab that have been seasoned, giving a deep savory taste. The fragrant aroma of banana leaves and spices that are perfectly absorbed make this dish suitable to be enjoyed at any time.
9. Iron Chips
Iron chips are a typical Balikpapan snack made from cassava with a very crispy texture and savory taste. The cassava used has a hard texture when fried or boiled, but will be perfectly crispy when made into chips.
These chips are perfect to enjoy as a light snack and are usually sold in practical packaging for souvenirs.
10. Crab Crackers
Crab peyek is a savory dish made from crab meat coated in a thin layer of flour and fried until crispy. This peyek has a distinctive crab aroma and a strong savory taste, making it a snack that is widely loved by tourists.
With its small shape and easy to consume in one bite, crab peyek is very suitable as a souvenir from Balikpapan.
Balikpapan cuisine offers a unique and delicious taste. Each typical Balikpapan dish has its own characteristics and special taste, making the culinary experience in this city even more memorable.
Don’t miss out on tasting each of its special dishes, because every bite is a story of the charm of Typical East Kalimantan Food.
