Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia and is a melting pot where domestic as well as foreign immigrants mingle with local inhabitants, commonly called the Betawi people.
The mixing with other cultures makes Jakarta rich with culinary choices.
Ironically, local delicacies have gradually become forgotten.
While some local cuisines are still around, some others can only be found at special events.
This fact makes searching for Jakarta's traditional foods, and photographing them, a challenging activity not only in terms of which techniques or props should be used but also how and where to find the foods that you want to photograph.
For successful traditional Jakarta food photo hunting, you can follow some tips below: 1.
Keep updated on special Jakarta events To celebrate its anniversary every June 22, Jakarta holds an annual event entitled Pekan Raya Jakarta (Jakarta Fair) around mid-June through mid-July.
As traditional food makers also share their skills in this event, Jakarta Fair is the perfect place to find rare local dishes such as kerak telor (egg crust).
Just make sure to bring extra money when visiting this fair as the foods can be as high as three times the regular price.
2.
Visit local houses during particular occasions Some foods are only made during special local events.
For example, roti buaya (crocodile-shaped bread) is exclusively made for Betawi weddings.
Roti buaya symbolizes the loyalty of the marrying couple and becomes a part of the wedding ceremony.
If you visit local houses during the Idul Fitri holiday, you will come across foods such as dodol Betawi(sticky, toffee-like sweets), kue akar kelapa (coconut tree root-shaped cookies), andmanisan kolang-kaling (sweetened Toddy palm fruit) which are only made once a year.
3.
Explore all elements to get the best shot Kembang goyang (flower-shaped cookies), kerak telor and roti buaya are naturally easy on the eyes.
You don't need much effort to produce good shots of them.
However, although tasty, other dishes such as gado-gado Betawi, karedok, and ketoprak are not especially appealing in terms of their appearance.
These foods, made from mixed vegetables, fried tofu, and lontong (rice cake) seasoned with peanut sauce and sprinkled with crackers, might smudge the plate and look messy.
To make them look tasty, you will need interesting angles, good lighting and additional props such as garnish, attractive dishware, and a beautiful table setting which complement the central object of the photo.
Remember to take a lot of pictures to get your best shot.
4.
On shooting hot food Kue rangi (rangi cake), soto Betawi (Betawi-styled meat soup), and gabus pucung(snakehead murrel with blackish broth) are Jakarta traditional foods best eaten hot.
Capturing these foods with steam rising off will be a plus.
As this technique is difficult to achieve naturally, you can do a little trick with the steam.
Some advanced food photographers, for instance, place microwaved water soaked cotton balls behind the food to make it looks like it is steaming hot.
5.
Never neglect the preparation Ketoprak and kerak telor are commonly sold by street vendors who immediately prepare the food after you place the order.
It is also suggested to take pictures of the preparation process as well.
Sometimes, the preparation such as the frying, chopping, mixing, etc.
can be more interesting than the final result.