The Story of Es Teler: From a Semarang Roadside Cart to a Legendary Traditional Drink

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Es teler, a refreshing drink containing avocado, young coconut, and jackfruit that is now easily found throughout Indonesia, apparently started from a simple cart owned by a Solo-based couple, Tukiman Darmowijono and Samijem Darmowijono, on Jalan Semarang, Central Jakarta. This mixed ice concoction they made in the 1970-1980s was what would later become one of the most popular specialty drinks in the country.

According to the Bekasi City Education Agency website, the name "es teler" itself emerged from the experience of a University of Indonesia student who bought Tukiman's concoction around 1976. At the time, the student asked for a mix containing only avocado, jackfruit, and young coconut, without any other ingredients. Because the taste was so delicious, he admitted to feeling "high" like the effects after taking drugs, then suggested that name for Tukiman's concoction.

Since then, the name es teler has spread widely through word of mouth promotion and mass media coverage. Its popularity skyrocketed; customers would even arrive in their own vehicles, creating long lines of parked cars along Jalan Semarang.

Over time, local residents began to complain about the congestion caused by the parked vehicles, viewing it as a disturbance to the neighborhood's peace. Consequently, Tukiman was forced to relocate his stall to Jalan Pegangsaan Barat before finally settling within the Megaria cinema complex.

Despite these relocations, customer enthusiasm for Tukiman's es teler never waned. The business, which began as a simple cart, has since transformed into the "Ayam Bakar dan Es Teler Sari Mulia Asli" shop, which continues to operate today at the site of the former Megaria cinema complex.

From the recipe side, es teler basically consists of pieces of avocado, young coconut, and ripe jackfruit combined with thin coconut milk and sweetener in the form of syrup or sweetened condensed milk, served with shaved ice or ice cubes. Its sweet, refreshing taste has made it a favorite across generations.

Over time, many sellers have developed the original recipe by adding other ingredients such as grass jelly, palm fruit, Chinese henna, pieces of apple, papaya, sapodilla, melon, bread, and even agar-agar. These increasingly diverse variations make it often difficult to distinguish es teler from es campur in general.

Even though the recipe continues to develop, the historical traces of es teler remain attached to the figure of Tukiman Darmowijono as its first concoction. From a small cart on Jalan Semarang, es teler has now become a culinary heritage that continues to survive and is loved by the Indonesian people.