Pempek

According to lore, the name pempek refers to the old Chinese man who first produced these fish and tapioca cakes from Palembang in South Sumatra.

Now a Palembang specialty, pempek or empek-empek comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.

The most famed, kapal selam, literally submarine, contains a chicken egg and is rumored to be the most nutritious form of the spongy dough balls, which are sprinkled with shrimp powder and served with cuka, a dark dipping sauce made from vinegar, chili and sugar.