Pempek is a snack originated from Palembang, Sumatra island, Indonesia. It is made by making fish paste, mixing it with cassava powder, seasoning it, and wrapping it with various fillings.
It is said that in the past, the Indonesian people in Sumatra used very simple methods to catch fish. Basically, they fried the fish except for roasting. Sometimes when there are too many fish caught, I don't know what to do. At that time, a Chinese old man used the traditional Chinese method of making fish balls and fish cakes to make fish cakes and sell them along the street. When making the fish cakes, he could not find the sweet potato powder, so he used the local specialty cassava powder instead, and innovated to wrap various fillings in the fish cakes. This method is especially delicious and can prolong the storage time of the fish. It is loved by the local people. Gradually, the local people also learn this method and become the number one snack in Palembang.
The name pempek comes from the Chinese dialect of "Uncle".
Traditionally, to eat in restoran pempek, you need to pour black sauce. It is called (cuka cuko) in Indonesian. It is made of sugar, shrimp, pepper, garlic and so on. The taste is sweet, salty and spicy in Indonesia. The most common way to eat fish cakes is deep frying. The coconut is fried and mixed with different sauces. The outside is crisp and the inside is soft. The fish is rich and the sauce is delicious.
Pempek has now developed all over Indonesia. It is an ordinary food that can be bought in various markets and supermarkets. It has a variety of appearances, and the contents are not limited to traditional eggs, but various. There are even special restaurants specializing in pempek, which are dedicated to various kinds of pempek for customers.