Gunungkidul Preserves Sega Bendrat, A Traditional Rp3,000 Meal

RRI.CO.ID, Gunungkidul - Sega Bendrat is a traditional Gunungkidul meal that offers a simple and affordable taste of local culinary heritage. Warti, known locally as Mbah Warti, sells the dish for Rp3,000 in Karanggede B, Girisubo.

The meal consists of rice wrapped in teak leaves and served with simple side dishes. Its signature accompaniment is bendrat, a crispy preparation made from young cassava leaves and traditional seasonings.

Making bendrat requires a lengthy process that takes about one day and one night. The cassava leaves are washed, soaked overnight, boiled, and washed again before being finely chopped.

The chopped leaves are seasoned with coriander, garlic, pepper, salt, and other seasonings. They are then mixed with flour and water before being fried thinly until crisp.

Mbah Warti has sold Sega Bendrat since the 1980s and continues preparing it daily. She cooks the rice and fries the bendrat using a traditional wood-fired stove, preserving its distinctive taste.

Customers usually enjoy the meal with sambal or sauce, hot rice, and stir-fried noodles. Despite its simple ingredients, the dish attracts visitors from neighboring districts and other parts of Gunungkidul.

Warti begins cooking around noon, while customers start arriving in the afternoon. The stall becomes busier at night, particularly when young people gather and travel from Pracimantoro, Semanu, Ponjong, and Wonosari.

Some visitors even travel from Yogyakarta to taste Sega Bendrat because of its distinctive preparation and local character. Warti said she remains the only seller of Sega Bendrat in the area.

For visitors exploring Wota-wati and nearby areas, Sega Bendrat offers an affordable way to experience Gunungkidul's traditional food culture. Its teak-leaf wrapping, wood-fired cooking, and cassava-leaf fritters preserve a culinary tradition passed through generations.