Exploring a new place or a new island isn’t complete without trying their signature dishes. Whenever I go to a place, I’d make sure to try at least one cuisine that’s from the place and is known to be from there. In Bali, they have Nasi campur and pork satay with peanut sauce that are really delicious. In Java, depending on the region there are ranging from rice based cuisine to soups and even desserts. But in Madura, they are known for their Duck cuisine.
There are different types of Duck cuisine; from steamed to fried but the signature dish coming from the island is a meal called “ bebek songkem” which is essentially a steamed duck wrapped in banana leaves with spices and spicy paste. This meal is served wrapped with rice and also mango spicy paste or what indonesian called as Sambal. This combination makes this dish zesty, fresh, yet savory at the same time. If you can’t handle spicy food, this isn’t for you as the duck itself is quite spicy. If I have the chance to go back, I would definitely eat this meal again.
In the island, there’s also another place called Bebek Sinjay where it sells fried duck with mango sambal. It’s another must-try food in the island and people cross over from Java to Madura only to try the duck. Personally, I am not a fan and would rather eat the steamed duck than this friend duck. To me, the fried duck is pretty normal and can be found anywhere but bebek songkem with its spices are hardly found anywhere other than in Madura island.