No exact figure shows how much ikan bakar young people eat in Magelang and Yogyakarta. However, the success of several ikan bakar restaurants suggests that grilled fish is now a new delicacy in the town. What happened to the young people? Why did they change their diets?
Maritime Approach That Makes Ikan Bakar Popular
Since 2014, President Joko Widodo has shifted policy to better leverage Indonesia’s maritime potential. The Minister of Fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti, has played a significant role in why Indonesia’s maritime potential is now being explored more. Jokowi himself has a unique habit of asking students about their favourite fish and giving them a bicycle as a gift. Although it is never a trending topic, this constant exposure has changed people’s opinions about ikan bakar.
People are at least more open to ikan bakar. In addition, many YouTube videos highlight how great East Indonesian ikan bakar is, making people prouder to try it and want to eat this famous Indonesian dish.
The variety of sambal also plays a huge role, since it adds more flavour variation to ikan bakar and makes people want to come back again and again for this dish.
To conclude, mass media and social media play a significant role in how people approach ikan bakar as a dietary option. Though it is not from a huge campaign, the intensity of the campaign and social suggestions has influenced people to consume ikan bakar more.
Other Meats Lose Their Popularity
Fair to say, chicken is still the most popular meat. However, chicken has faced various negative issues due to inhumane treatment in poultry farms and concerns that chickens have been fed dangerous chemicals. This situation leads people to look for other options.
Beef is always expensive and unaffordable for many; therefore, beef is included as an option but has never been used as daily food. On the other hand, Mutton is another popular meat, and people actually have the buying power to get it. Yet, the issue is that there are possibilities of mutton triggering blood pressure issues from hypertension and skyrocketing cholesterol levels in the blood, making it an unfavourable choice. The fact that mutton is not easily found does not help either.
Ikan bakar is more appealing because it ticks all the boxes of an ideal meal. It is rich in minerals and vitamins such as B1. The omega level is also high. Omega is important for cardiovascular health, eye health, and other vital organs. Fish also improves immunity.
The protein content in fish meat is another reason why fish is something that people choose for their diets. People nowadays care about their muscle mass and power. However, other protein sources like beef and mutton are famous for the high cholesterol levels in the meat. The same issue is not found in fish. Therefore, fish is getting prioritised.
Why Ikan Bakar Then?
If you think about it, eating raw fish meat is not something that is appealing to most Indonesians. Indonesian do not have this tradition of eating raw fish. Therefore, they do not want to eat fish raw.
Fried fish might be a good option. Yet the amount of oil involved raises another concern, since it means fried fish is not as healthy an option. The situation leaves ikan bakar as an ideal option.
Ikan bakar, especially from the eastern part of Indonesia, is promoted as grilled from raw. It means there is no oil, unlike Javanese Ikan Bakar, which puts the fish in sizzling hot oil—making it not healthy either.
Though it is acclaimed as a healthy option, other studies should be done since the spices involve a lot of salt and sweets. The sambal itself contains one of the hottest chillies, which might affect the digestive system. Other than that, a plate of ikan bakar is still something that is very attractive and worth trying.
