Cakalang fufu

Cakalang fufu is a cured and smoked skipjack tuna clipped on a bamboo frame, a Minahasan delicacy of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Process

After the cakalang (Minahasan for skipjack tuna) fish has been cleaned (scaled and gutted), the flesh of cakalang is split into two parts and clipped upon a bamboo frame that has been prepared previously. Then the fish meat is cured using soda powder, salt and some spices for flavouring. The cakalang meat later undergone the smoking process, the heat of fire and smoke must be evenly distributed so that all parts of fish exposed to the heat, done and dried. The tuna meat curing process takes about four hours and the time needed for cooling is about two hours. The process went on until the color of skipjack tuna turns reddish and the meat texture is rather dry and not watery.

If processed correctly, cakalang fufu could last for a month, thus can be distributed throughout Indonesia as processed seafood. In North Sulawesi, Cakalang fufu is a popular dish and often bought by travellers as gifts. Although it is well known throughout Eastern Indonesia, the main production center more precisely is the fishing town of Bitung, North Sulawesi.