Sunday, August 31, 2008

Manisan Cianjur

Manisan Cianjur 2

Text and pictures by Eki Qushay Akhwan

Frankly speaking, I don't know how to translate "Manisan Cianjur" into English. "Manisan" literally translates as "sweet stuff" and "Cianjur" is the name of a small town about an hour away to the west of Bandung.

Manisan Cianjur 1

Anyway, "manisan cianjur" is a kind of traditional food made of fresh fruit or vegetable preserved in sugar and vinegar syrup plus other ingredients (like chilli). I think it is originally from China or was introduced here by the Chinese, but has since been adapted to the local conditions.

Does anyone know what the name of this thing is in English (or other languages)?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Im not sure what this might be comparable to in the US... I do like the photos though.. thanks for all the great comments on my blog.. I do really enjoy your style of photography and the stories they tell.. I like the insight into what life is like in your country! thanks for sharing your world

USelaine said...

The vinegar, spice, and sugar just sounds like some kind of "pickle". There aren't so many variations common here - mostly just cucumber and peppers. There may be a better word for it elsewhere.

Virginia said...

Heck no, but I would never have dreamed it's fruit. Looks like olives, green peas, radishes etc. Very interesting. Oh, we do have pickled peaches down here. When I was small, pickled peaches were only pulled out for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner. Odd.

Laurie Allee said...

What pretty jars with all those colors. I'd love to taste some of them. I had Cajun pickled okra in Louisiana that was combined with sugar, vinegar and chilis. Yummy!

Hilda said...

Sounds like our buro, which is fermented, or our atsara, which is simply preserved.

And like Elaine, I think that the closest word in English would be 'pickle.'

The ones in the bottom row have red pepper too?

Eki said...

Uselaine, Virginia, Hilda:
Thanks for your input. Yes, I think pickle would be the closest translation for this food.

Hilda,
Atsara sounds like what it is. These vegy and fruits are not fermented.

Jane Hards Photography said...

I have no idea of any available tanslation. Sweet stuff sounds good to me though. It sounds very tasty and looks so natural, no artificial colours. A mouthwatering post.

Unknown said...

Eki, you really don't need to translate, because it looks so delicious I would try everything even without knowing what it is! (that is what usually happens when I'm abroad...) :-)

Livio Bonino said...

Beautiful shot indeed, I prefer the detail of the first one

Anonymous said...

I love the colors and shapes of the veggies inside the jars. Great shot!

Anonymous said...

Honestly, I really love "manisan Cianjur". It tastes so good :)

What a nice and colourful picture, Sir!