X-treme Culinary

UNGKRUNG, X-TREME CULINARY FROM GUNUNGKIDUL

(December, 7)

Gunungkidul includes regency of Yogyakarta province. It is about one hour from Yogyakarta to reach. For most people, Gunungkidul is well-known as a dry place or a place that very poor of water. Hey don’t gibe bro, Gunungkidul is full of uniqueness. They are tourism objects and culinary but in this writing, the writer just wants to expose the unique and extreme culinary of Gunungkidul called ungkrung.

Ungkrung usually comes in rainy seasons but we can’t predict the actual time when it will appear because last year, it didn’t appear although it was rainy season. Ungkrung is a kind of cocoon that metamorphoses from jati caterpillar. Jati caterpillar that hasn’t ready to be eaten may hides in jati leaves because it eats jati leaves to get the nutrition.

When it is ready to metamorphose, it moves down from jati tree and looks for new save place to continue the next metamorphose to be a cocoon (ungkrung). Ungkrung itself has dark/ light brown soft body case. We can find ungkrung under jati tree. It is usually hides and lives under dry jati leaves, leaves around or even on the soft upper layer of the soil.

Almost of Gunungkidul societies are mad of ungkrung. Children to adults, younger to older, they are all come to jati field to find ungkrung. The things we must do when we look for ungkrung are wearing a safety clothes, bringing some waters and bringing the plastic to keep the ungkrung. Here the ungkrung hunter should use stick to turn the leaves of soil because there usually a scorpion under the dry leaves around. In this case, the patience and carefulness is much needed.

When the ungkrung hunters have already got the target, sometimes they cook the ungkrung and sometimes they sell them too. One kilogram of ungkrung cost Rp 50.000-65.000. How fantastic it is! The price is nearly beat the beef price bro.

For your information, the taste of ungkrung is most likely shrimp. Hmm…yummy! Just come to Gunungkidul and challenge yourself bro!