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Roots and tubers from Indonesia

Oyek and growol (Kulon Progo soaked cassava)oyek

Growol is peeled cassava soaked in water for two to four days while lactic bacteria sour it, then washed, pressed, crumbled and steamed into a rice-like staple. Oyek is growol dried so it keeps, and it is steamed again before eating.

Fully documentedRoots and tubers2 days – 4 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceAmounts are the ratios used in two university studies of the Kulon Progo method. Makers use no fixed batch and mix cassava varieties.
Cassava, peeled and cut into pieces of about 5 cm[kanetro2015][afrianto2020]
Well water, for the soak1 part cassava to 3 parts water (w/v)[kanetro2015]
Clean water, for washing after the soak1 part to 5 parts water (w/v), twice[afrianto2020]
No starterFermentation begins spontaneously in the soak water[kanetro2015]
Starterspontaneous (water soak)

Total time across the recorded steps: 2 days – 4 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
shapes, not to countLactic acid bacteriapH 5.2–5.7SugarsLactic acid

What changes: Peeled cassava soaks in water for two to four days and turns sour

Step 1 of 5
Peel, cut and soak the cassava in water
Time
2–4 days
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
pH 5.2–5.7
Measured
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: soft, sour cassava.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

lactic acid bacteria grow and sour the roots

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Growol is peeled cassava soaked in water for two to four days while lactic bacteria sour it, then washed, pressed, crumbled and steamed into a rice-like staple. Oyek is growol dried so it keeps, and it is steamed again before eating. Made in 5 steps over 2 days – 4 days. The longest step, peel, cut and soak the cassava in water, takes 2–4 days (Afrianto S 2020). Lactic acid bacteria does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step2–4 daysReported[afrianto2020][kanetro2015]Peel, cut and soak the cassava in water
AciditypH 5.2–5.7Measured[afrianto2020]Peel, cut and soak the cassava in water

What makes this one different

Unlike gatot, the fresh root goes straight into water, with no mould stage. Unlike gari, the soaked cassava is steamed in crumbs rather than roasted, and oyek adds a drying step so it keeps.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Growol with cowpea flour30 % sprouted cowpea flour added to raise protein; panels liked it as much as plain oyek (study).

Safety

The growol study chose cassava varieties that do not taste bitter [afrianto2020]. Cassava still holds compounds that release cyanide, and bitterness is not a reliable sign of how much [fao1990]. No source read gives cyanide values for growol or oyek, so this page makes no claim about cyanide removal. Do not make these with bitter cassava, and throw away the soak and wash water.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Growol is recorded in the Serat Centhini, written in 1814 (Jilid V, Pupuh 349, verses 25-29), as a food that stands in for rice, according to a 2022 Universitas Gadjah Mada community-service paper. That paper names Hargomulyo village in Kokap, Kulon Progo, as the area that makes growol. A 2015 study says growol is often dried into oyek so it keeps, then steamed again to eat, mainly in times of scarcity or food shortage in the dry season.

  1. [fao1990] FAO 1990, Roots, tubers, plantains and bananas in human nutrition, ch. 7, Toxic substances and antinutritional factors (cassava toxicity)gov
  2. [kanetro2015] Kanetro B., Luwihana S. 2015, Komposisi proksimat dan kandungan bakteri asam laktat oyek terbaik dari perlakuan penambahan kacang tunggak (Vigna unguiculata) berdasarkan tingkat kesukaannya, agriTECH 35(3), doi 10.22146/agritech.9335paper
  3. [afrianto2020] Afrianto S., Wariyah C. 2020, Karakteristik growol yang dibuat dengan variasi varietas ubi kayu (Manihot esculenta Crantz) dan lama fermentasi, agriTECH 40(3):254–261, doi 10.22146/agritech.50228paper
  4. [wicaksono2022] Wicaksono M.S., Fatkurrohman, Nastiti E.N.S., Rahayuningsih H., Pramusita A., Nuryani A., Pradana C.S. 2022, Pengembangan growol sebagai oleh-oleh makanan khas tradisional Kulon Progo, Jurnal Pengabdian dan Pengembangan Masyarakat 5(1):11–21paper