Surabaya's culture, typical food and characeristic!

Surabaya which is known as the city of heroes is a port town since the periods of Majapahit. Therefore, Surabaya has become an area of convergence of various humans in trading activities. It continues to run in accordance with the development of Surabaya city became the center of the regional economy in eastern Indonesia with a variety of business and trade activities. That’s why not surprising that the city Surabaya became a multi-ethnic city. 

The largest population in the city of Surabaya 53% of the population of Java, followed by Chinese 25.5%, Madurese 7.5%, 7% of Arab descent and 10% are from other tribes. Indonesian archipelago ethnics are also could be found, such as : Madura, Sunda, Batak, Kalimantan, Bali Sulawesi which mixed with native Surabaya citizen and establish cultural pluralism. Therefore, it become a special characteristic for surabaya . Most of surabaya citizen are original from Native Surabaya and Madura’s people. Each ethnic and tribes cultures over the years have been mingled in peace and harmony and form a unique and distinctive blend as well known as a cultural of Surabaya. 

Therefore, it makes Surabaya being different with other city in Indonesia, then this special characteristic is really blending to coloring in this daily life. Associate with each other without any differences, open minded, critic and being critic is a daily lifestyle that could be found in here. More over, traditional art and special food define for surabaya cultural pluralism.

Surabaya’s Culture 

Surabaya is known to have unique art:

1.      Ludruk, is a performing arts drama that tells the daily life of the people.

·      Kartolo CS is a well-known group of art ludruk from Surabaya.

2.      Remo Dance, is a welcome dance which is generally dedicated to special guests.

3.      Chanting, is a rhyme chanted, and contains elements of humor

In addition to the above unique art, culture Arek calls (typical designation Surabaya) translated as Cak for men and for women Ning. In an effort to preserve the culture, once a year held elections Cak & Ning Surabaya. Cak & Ning Surabaya and the finalists is a tourism ambassador and icon of the young generation of the city of Surabaya.

The festival is held once a year Cak Durasim (FCD), which is an arts festival to preserve the culture of Surabaya and East Java in general. Durasim Cak Festival is usually held at the Cak Durasim, Surabaya. There was also the Arts Festival Surabaya (FSS), which raised all kinds of art forms such theater, dance, music, literature seminars, exhibitions of paintings. The performers are usually apart from arts groups in Surabaya also come from outside Surabaya. Also enlivened screening step on the screen, exhibit T-shirts and so forth. held annually in June held at the Youth Center

Typical food of Surabaya :

1.    Semanggi Surabaya

Typical Surabaya food that is served on the plate made from bananas leaves (pincuk), consisted of several various vegetables such as Semanggi leaves,sprouts, leafy vegetable and is poured with the spice that is made from yams and chili sauce accordance with the consument's taste. It usually could be eaten with Uli chips (made from the rice). The seller is generally an old woman, carried to their back and peddled to whole of Surabaya . This typical food can be found in Pujasera nowadays.

2.    Rujak Cingur

Rujak Cingur is snack food that becomes a typical Surabaya's food, that consisted of several kinds fruits slices like cucumber, bengkoang, young mangoes, pineapples and kedondong, it is added with rice cake, tofu, fermented soybean cake, bendoyo or krai (a kind of cucumber boiled) and cingur as well as vegetables (sprout, leafy vegetable& long peanuts) and was mixed with sauce or the spice that is made from the prawns fermented, chili, fried peanuts, fried onion & salt. It has called as rujak cingur because the whim spice that being used were prawns fermented and the slice of cingur, whereas rujak generally without using these ingredients. It can be served with pincuk from bananas leaves (the bananas leaves) or plate which was usually accompanied with chips.

3.    Lontong kupang

Lontong Kupang is a typical coast food that consisted of the rice cake and mixed with the kupang broth (a kind of oyster/the small shellfish), and it is served with the chili whim in accordance with the customer taste. This food is peddled by being borne to whole of Surabaya city and it can also be found in Pujasera.

4.    Lontong Balap

Typical original Surabaya's food which is cooked from the rice cake, sprouts, fried tofu, Lento (made of soybean), soy sauce, fried onion and chili sauce.

Lento is made from rice peanuts/Tholo with flour, afterwards it is added with galingale, the spring onion, rough-skinned citrus fruit and adequate salt. It is formed round resembled the croquette.

Lontong Balap is full of sprouts. Lontong Balap is not served well without Kerang Satay.

Shellfish satay, ismade from the shellfish that is boiled and then it is served like satay, but without being roasted. Lontong Balap will be more delicious to eat if being added with hot soy sauce and chili sauce.

Here’s the characteristic of Arek-Arek Suroboyo:

Apparently the name of Surabaya, which means has a bold sense of danger really penetrate soul and become the character of “Arek-srek Suruboyo” (designation for citizens of Surabaya). They bravely faced the attack of Allied Forces  in 1945. Starting with the events of the flag incident at the Oranje Hotel (now Hotel Majapahit) and culminates in a major battle on November 10th, 1945. To commemorate the courage citizens of Surabaya, every November 10th is celebrated as National Heroes Day.

Intro to Surabaya Javanese Language:

·         good morning = sugeng enjing

·         good evening = sugeng sonten

·         good night = sugeng dalu

·         thank you = matur nuwun

·         you're welcome = sami - sami

·         how are you? = piye kabare

·         excuse me = amit nggih

·         i'm sorry = sepurane nggih

·         can you speak English = iso coro inggris

·         i can't speak Indonesian = aku gak iso boso Indonesia

·         i don't understand = aku gak ngerti

·         can you help me? = iso ngerewangi aku ta?

·         where is ...? = nang endi nggone ...?

·         how much is this? = iki piro?

·         i'm hungry = aku luwe

·         i want to eat = aku arep mangan

·         please take me to ... = anterno aku nang ...

·         yes = iyo

·         no = mboten ; gak

·         don't = ojo

·         finish = sampun

·         stop here = mandap mriki

·         don't make it hot (spicey) = ojo pedes

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