An Exploratory Study of Typical and Traditional Culinary Arts in Surakarta and Semarang as Cultural Heritage to Support Indonesian Tourism Industry

As a three-year-project funded by the Government of Indonesia in support of tourism industry, the current study explored the existence of tradional culinary arts of Surakarta and Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia in an attempt to promote Indonesian tourism industry. A variety of traditional snacks from the two cities were identified to find out the similarities and differences in terms of exclusiveness and flavors. As a qualitative and descriptive research, the data were collected through observation on the types of traditional snacks, and interviews with the vendors with respect to the process of production. The findings showed that Surakarta is rich in traditional snacks, such as Sosis Solo, Jadah Blondo, Intip Goreng, Rambak, and various kinds of Lenjongan. In Semarang, on the other hand, there are Ganjel Ril, Winbgko Babat, Kue Senteling, Wedang Tahu, Lumpia and one type of Lenjongan—therefore Lenjongan can be assumed is the only similar food in the two cities. The snacks from the two cities have distinctive features of flavors that deserve both domestic and international recognition. Therefore these types of snacks can be tourism icons to attrack national and international tourists to visit both cities. In conclusion, the typical traditional culinary arts should be preserved and maintained to support Indonesian tourism industry.