 Iwak pakasam basanga a dish of fried pekasam fish, a Banjar dish of South Kalimantan, Indonesia | |
| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Indonesia[1]andMalaysia[2] |
| Region or state | Sumatra,Malay Peninsula,Kalimantan |
Pekasam (Jawi:ڤكاسم),Pakasam orBekasam is aMalay term forfermented food, more precisely fermented fish product.[1][3] InMalay andBanjar cookery, pekasam usually refers tofreshwater fishfermented withsalt,palm sugar, toastedrice grains and pieces ofasam gelugur.[2]
Pekasam fish fermentation technique is widely distributed inMalay Archipelago; more precisely in Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo.
Pekasam or Bekasam is widely distributed in Indonesia, especially inGayo highlands in Aceh,[4]Riau,[5]South Sumatra,[6]Kapuas Hulu inWest Kalimantan,[7] Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, andCirebon in West Java.[8]
In Malaysia, the production of pekasam is concentrated at the northern end of the Malaysian peninsula in states such asPerlis,Kedah,Perak, and the Bornean state ofSarawak.[9] In Malaysia, pekasam is the only fermented fish product that uses freshwater fish as the raw material, while in Indonesia, pekasam can be made of both freshwater fish or seafood.Thin beef strips is also used to make pekasam instead of fish in Malaysia. Chicken, mutton and squid eggs are also available as pekasam. Unlike fish pekasam, these variants are frozen after preparation and can last up to six months.
In Malay language, the termasam means "sour", which suggests the fermentation process that produces sour flavour. Pekasam tastes sour and mostly containlactic acid bacteria.[1] In most parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, pekasam refer to fermented fish. However inAceh, northern tip of Sumatra,pekasam refer to fermented durian ortempoyak.[10]
In Indonesia, pekasam as fish preservation method is quite widely distributed, especially inSumatra,Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), and some parts of Java. The process of making fish pekasam or pickled fish takes more than a month. Initially, the fish meat used for the fish stock was preserved in the terracotta jar, mixed with salt, sugar and rice. The type of fish used in Cirebon pekasam issailfish. InCirebon, West Java, Pekasam or Bekasem is a special food prepared and consumed forMawlid.[8]
In Indonesia, making pekasam is a tradition inBanjarese ofSouth Kalimantan.[11][12] The term pekasam often added to a dish that uses pekasam fish as its main ingredients; suchiwak pakasam basanga; a dish of fried pekasam fish, a Banjar dish of South Kalimantan.
In Malaysia pekasam is usually consumed deep-fried or prepared as a side dish that goes well with rice.
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