Have you ever tried coto makassar or coto mangkasara? It’s a traditional dish from Makassar, South Sulawesi. It’s made from boiled beef offal (entrails). The offal stew is mixed with beef and then sliced. It’s seasoned with specially formulated spices. Coto is served in a bowl and enjoyed with ketupat and “burasa,” which is a type of ketupat wrapped in banana leaves.
The unique flavor of coto makassar comes from a blend of various spices, with the addition of tauco. Tauco is a staple ingredient of coto makassar, and it’s been a Chinese flavoring in the Makassar area since the 16th century. All the beef filling in coto makassar is processed by boiling for a long time. Not only offal, but also pieces of beef, are filled into coto makassar. In the old days, the beef part of the coto dish was only for the royal family to enjoy. The offal part was for the lower classes or courtiers.
The Legend Story of Coto Makassar
Have you ever heard the story of Coto Makassar? It’s a fascinating tale that dates back to the 15th century, when Islam first entered South Sulawesi. It all started in an area between the border of Takalar and Gowa regencies in South Sulawesi. There was a small kingdom called Bajeng, and in that kingdom there was a cook who was often called Toak. He was a creative soul who loved to experiment with different types of dishes.
At that time, there was no beef, only buffalo meat. So every day, the kings were served the meat. Because only the meat was taken, all the entrails were thrown away. Toak, who was the royal chef, felt really sad every time he saw the inside of the animal thrown away. Meanwhile, people outside the kingdom rarely got to taste the delicious meat.
Toak then looked for ideas to be able to make something delicious from the inside of this stomach (offal). So people could also taste the delicious meat.
Luckily, Toak had great relationships with spice traders from China, Persia, and several other countries. This meant he had a wide variety of spices, both from Indonesia and other countries. Finally, with all his skills, he began to clean the offal, boil, and mix the spices. But strangely, he didn’t use coconut milk to make the sauce. Instead, he used rice water and added peanuts.
Finally, the dish we know today as Coto Makassar was ready. Toak shared it with folks in the kingdom who needed it most. He also served it to colleagues from other countries who happened to be in the area. Everyone agreed that Toak’s culinary creations were delicious. So, Toak was finally confident enough to serve the dish to the king. The food reached the king’s tongue and he liked it. It quickly became the king’s favorite dish. Even back then, Coto Makassar was a popular choice thanks to its delicious taste.
