To celebrate its 482nd birthday, the government of Jakarta is holding a record-breaking event. They are cooking a very long dish, about 53 meters long. This very special dish is not only Jakarta’s longest, but is, in fact, the world’s longest. It took 50 kerak telor traders two hours to line up the 53 meter long dish.To match the birthday of Jakarta the dish was made with 482 liters of hulled rice, 482 duck eggs and more than 4,800 grams of coconut relish.
The chairman of the Indonesian World Record Museum gave a record-breaking certificate to the mayor of North Jakarta.
[Jaya Suprana, Chairman, Indonesian World Record Museum]:
"Until today, the kind of food which is popular in Indonesia… in Jakarta… is pizza… or hamburgers… all of which are foreign foods. This is our own food, a part of our culture. As you can see, it is a very delicious food… a very nutritious food… I am very proud of today’s record."
Kerak telor is a special food only available in Jakarta. It is made from traditional foods such as hulled rice, chicken or duck eggs, dried shrimp, and coconut relish.
When half-cooked, the wok will be heated up to 90 degrees Celsius so that the dish is slightly scorched.
During the Dutch colonization of Indonesia, kerak telor became an elite food because of its delicious taste. At that time, it was only available at upper class social events.
As time has passed, Western food has dominated the Indonesian market and the rare dish lost its popularity.