PROGRES.ID – PT Industri Jamu dan Farmasi Tbk., in collaboration with the Semarang Enthusiast Community for Tourism (Kopi Semawis), organized a Festival of Culinary Delights and Herbal Elixirs Loved by the 7 Presidents of Indonesia at the Semawis Pecinan Market in Semarang. This event lasted for 3 days, from September 29 to October 1, 2023.
The festival featured 7 food stalls offering menus that were once beloved by the Indonesian presidents. Here is a list of the menus and the respective stalls:
- Bung Karno’s stall serving Nasi Pecel Blitar.
- Soeharto’s stall with a menu of sayur lodeh, tempe, tahu bacem, and tiwul.
- BJ Habibie’s stall offering Bubur Manado.
- Gus Dur’s stall with Kikil Jimbang.
- Megawati’s stall presenting nasi goreng Nusantara.
- SBY’s stall featuring Pecel Madiun.
- Jokowi’s stall serving Sate Kere Solo.
Not only did the food stalls offer delicious dishes, but each stall also served the favorite beverages of the presidents. For instance, at Jokowi’s stall, there was a beverage made from temulawak, ginger, and turmeric.
According to Kumparan, Harjanto Halim, the Chairman of Kopi Semawis, added that this event was an opportunity to introduce the presidents’ culinary preferences to the public. He explained, “This lets the public know that the presidents’ favorite foods are very down-to-earth, affordable, and satisfying.”
Harjanto himself made significant efforts to gather information about the presidents’ favorite foods, conducting research online and receiving input from friends and individuals who had interacted with or known the presidents. He even visited Jombang to gain a deeper understanding of this matter.
In the same context, Irwan emphasized the importance of collaboration between the community, investors, and the government to establish Semarang as a primary gateway for tourism in Indonesia. In addition to hosting culinary festivals, the presence of an international flight route at Semarang’s airport was seen as a crucial supporting factor.
“So people from Singapore, China, and the United States don’t need to go to Bali first. They can directly visit the Central Java region, Yogyakarta, or Solo. However, the only requirement is an airport that can accommodate large international flights,” explained Irwan.
Sido Muncul is committed to continuously promoting Semarang as a prominent tourism destination in the future, with the hope that more tourist destinations in Indonesia will gain international recognition.
