Apokat – That Magic Drink: Indonesia
Candika my wife was the first to introduce me to the magic drink (as she calls it) Apokat. For years, she had ordered it in restorans and warungs, and even though she enticed me to 'take a sip', I declined. How foolish I was back then to decline!.
Now, almost every time I have a meal, I order Apokat as a dessert. Apokat is a blend of crushed Avocado, delicious chocolate syrup together with ice cubes. Apokat is really a meal in itself and quite filling. Popular with Indonesians, Apokat does have quite a history. Suryatini N. Ganti, wrote an excellent article on my favourite drink/meal. It's amazing the variety and names given to this scrumptious drink throughout Indonesia.
You say 'apokat', I say 'alpuket': The versatile fruit
While discussing why our rather low and leafy avocado tree did not bloom the gardener commented that years ago he had suggested to me to plant a male tree next to the existing tree. A male tree?
The cook joined us and showed me two pits. One was round, "From the avocado you ate yesterday" she said, "it is a female pit. And the other one is pointed. So it is male."
The gardener continued that avocado trees have to be planted in pairs. How do you know our tree is female?
"Because it is rather low and leafy" he said.
Not understanding the gender problems of avocados, I let him plant the pointed pit. He refused and said that a friend who had many avocado trees would give him a 50 centimeter tall male tree. So now, the wait is for Mr. and Mrs. Avocado’s offspring.
For some people in the hospitality industry here the avocado is a famous fruit.
Once upon a time a clever businessman added a heap of scraped avocado to a mixed fruit drink full of cubed ripe jackfruit, scraped young coconut flesh, with some iced water and a dark pink syrup, crushed ice cubes and finally on top of it all, a generous pouring of sweet condensed milk. He named the creation es teler.
Though teler mainly means "dog-tired" and "plastered", as occurs after consuming some forbidden drugs, the man did not become teler. Instead he made millions of rupiah as his high-calorie drink became a favorite after-school beverage among children who did not care about the calories they consumed daily.
Es teler even went to Malaysia and Singapore and in upmarket establishments with a sophisticated presentation. Ever tried an es teler? It is taboo for weight watchers because avocados have 6.5 grams of fat per 100 grams edible fruit in addition to vitamins B1 and C and minerals like iron.
Avocados for es teler and other species grow throughout Indonesia and several regions in Java. The main producers of avocados are the regions of Lembang and Subang in West Java and Malang in East Java. The best pear-shaped avocados, however, grow in Pasar Minggu, a South Jakarta suburb that was known previously as the domain of fruit farmers.
In Sumatra, Aceh and Tapanuli have very good avocados too but the color of the fruit varies. Whereas avocados in Java are mostly a shiny green, Sumatra avocados are dark green or slightly aubergine while both types grow on the islands of eastern Indonesia.
Locally avocados are mostly eaten in a sweet dish and North Jakartans have also created an avocado fruit. A classic avocado drink is a glass of mashed avocados with 1 tablespoon of strong coffee extract made by boiling finely ground coffee beans in water and then filtering it. Add sugar to your liking and crushed ice cubes.
The name? Apokat kopi (coffee avocado).
Apokat is the official name in Bahasa Indonesia. What about regional names?
In West Java ask for alpuket or alpukat; in Central and East Java, alpokat; in North Sumatra buah pokat or jambu pokat; and in many other provinces they are jambu mentega, jambu puan or pukat. Avocado trees are very sensitive to weather changes. The flowering process is quicker on hot, sunny days and slower when the weather is cloudy and cool.
The fruit also has medicinal properties and can be used to treat a sluggish liver, while in West Java its leaves are traditionally brewed in water to destroy small kidney stones.
By the way, the avocado is an introduced species and hails originally from Mexico where the Aztec fruit was enjoyed by Columbus and was brought by those sailing the Seven Seas to Indonesia.
A local dip with Mexican overtones is guacamole ala Jakarta, seasoned with a bitingly hot local chili pepper. The dip makes a perfect cocktail snack with fried cassava chips.