Bakso Proposed as National Food

President Jokowi attends Red and White Meatball Event at Deltamas Field, Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, Sunday (3/3) siang. (Photo: Oji/PR)
In response to the requests from a number of bakso (meatball) sellers in Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Sunday (3/3) agreed to name the traditional food as Indonesias national food.
In a dialog with those sellers, President Jokowi, who claimed to love eating bakso, learned that the sellers can earn average gross income of Rp700,000 Rp800,000 (USD50-57) per day. The amount, he added, is quite sufficient thanks to stable commodity prices.
Bakso, a popular Indonesian traditional food, is a meat paste made from beef surimi.. The texture is similar to the Chinese beef ball. The word bakso itself may refer to a single meatball or the complete dish of meatball soup. Bakso can be found all across Indonesia, from street vendors to high-class restaurants.
On that occasion, President Jokowi also explained several Governments financing assistance programs, namely the Ultra Micro (UMi), the Fostering the Economy of the Prosperous Family (known as Mekaar) and the Smallholder Business Credit (KUR) as well as other Governments assistance programs including the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP), the Healthy Indonesia Card (KIS) and the Prosperous Family Card (KKS). (OJI/ES)
Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Edited by: Muhardi
Proofread by: M. Ersan Pamungkas