''Cenil'', sometimes also called as ''cendil'' or ''cetil'' is a traditional

snack A snack is a small portion of Human food, food generally Eating, eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including Food packaging, packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at ho ...

made from

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but which has ...

dough and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

, usually added with food colouring, and shaped into small balls or cubes, coated and consumed with grated coconut. Cenil is a traditional Javanese snack usually associated with

Pacitan Pacitan Regency (; ) is a regency located in the southwestern corner of East Java Province, with Central Java Province on its western border. Located between 7.55° - 8.17°S and 110.55° - 111.25°E. The borders of Pacitan Regency are with Wonogi ...

East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...

. This snack can be found being sold in traditional market in

Central Java Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...

and

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

, where it is called ''cetil''. Usually sold together with other Javanese traditional snacks such as '' klepon, kicak,

getuk Gethuk is an Indonesian- Javanese dish made from cassava. The cassava is peeled, boiled and mashed. Then it is mixed with grated coconut, sugar and small amounts of salt. Sugar can also be replaced with palm sugar to give it brownish color and ...

, ciwel, cantel, pertolo'' and ''tepo''. In 1990s, cenil usually only can be found in traditional marketplaces which only operated in Javanese ''pasaran'' days.

Etymology

The term cenil (from ) denotes something cute, small and coquettish, due to its small size and colourful appearance, which usually coloured green, yellow, red, pink and brown using

food colouring Food coloring, color additive or colorant is any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or beverages. Colorants can be supplied as liquids, powders, gels, or pastes. Food coloring is commonly used in commercial ...

History

Earliest record of ''cenil'' or ''cetil'' was mentioned in a Javanese manuscript

Serat Centhini ''Serat Centhini'' is a twelve-volume compilation of Javanese tales and teachings, written in verse and published in 1814. The work was commissioned, directed, and partially written by Crown Prince Mangkunegoro, later enthroned as Pakubuwono V o ...

dated from 1814. However, expert suggested a snack similar with, or a predecessor of cenil has been existed since Mataram era circa the 8th century.

Ingredients

*Tapioca flour mixed with rice flour, made into dough, coloured and steamed *Salt *Sugar *Coated with grated coconut *Sometimes poured with liquid

palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed simila ...

References

{{Indonesian cuisine Vegetarian dishes of Indonesia Foods containing coconut Kue

Etymology

History

Ingredients

See also

References