Tomohon, city with the highest density of Christians in Indonesia. Here weird traditional beliefs are still thriving and culture is a mix of Christianity with ancient beliefs and customs.
Like everywhere in the world, market is a place to get fresh ingredients for Indonesia’s best and goriest “Minahasa” cuisine. Minahasa is region located in the North Sulawesi, formerly known as North Celebes.
Typical traditional market on first sight
It’s the unusual ingredients that make Minahasa food notorious, spice pastes, made from recipes handed down the generations, which built its reputation. All Minahasa sauces start from a basic spice paste: chilli, salt, garlic, ginger, turmeric and candlenuts pounded with long pestle.
Variety of fresh fruits and vegetable
Exotic fruit – for Sulawesi 🙂
Chocolate biscuits
Lots of different kind of fish
Fresh smoked fish
Yellow fin tuna
Completely organic food, antibiotic free, locally sourced, no GMO and farm-to-table.
Fresh chicken
WARNING: Here are pictures of raw meat. If you are offended by other cultures or you’re extremist vegetarian or unaware of how raw meat looks, don’s scroll down!
During the 19th century Dutch colonials worked hard to eliminate all forms of Minahasa ritual like headhunting.
Although Minahasa people left the forest centuries ago, they still eat many of the same meats that their highland forerunners did 6000 years earlier.
Saturday is the day for snake vendors
Boas, pythons … you name it
Vampire bats
Blood magic has been banned in North Sulawesi, but Minahasa black magicians still make animal sacrifices at a secret cave each full moon. Magic and the habit of eating ancient forest foods are signs of very strong Minahasa culture.
Bat of the day
Most exotic meats from market are delicacies to be cooked at home as a special treat rather than served in restaurants around.
Delicacy – bat’s tongue
Rats – bush meat
Cats
Saddest “hot dog” section. If you manage till here you should close the tab now!
Dogs are bludgeoned on the back of the head with a heavy wooden club to crush their skulls and then flame roasted
Dogs come from Muslim areas, where dogs are not kept as pets, or dog farms
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