Tanasurga: An all-organic restaurant in Salatiga promotes the healing powers of food – Food

Health, wellness and sustainability have taken center stage and seeped into our daily lives, playing a major role in our purchasing decisions. In the food industry, the pursuit of these three factors has given rise to the garden-to-table movement. An all-organic restaurant and less waste store, Tanasurga, in Salatiga, Central Java, is embracing and pioneering this approach in the region, taking pride in the traceability of the food they serve.

What is the concept for? Garden-to-table advocates locally sourced foods and emphasizes relatively direct transfer and minimal intervention from the food source until it reaches your plate. This concept has been floating around the modern food landscape for some time, but Tanasurga was not intentionally created to follow the trend or meet growing demand. Instead, it was inspired by the first-hand experience of one of the owners.

Lifestyle change

Co-founder Setyo Budi, 50, was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. It was, he said, a wake-up call to change his lifestyle, especially by consuming fresh foods as much as possible without preservatives. He started growing his own food to take full control of what is placed on his plate, a core value that laid the foundation for Tanasurga.

Together with his wife Arina, 54, Setyo opened the door to Tanasurga in 2020, offering healthy and tasty dishes and the experience of connecting with food by allowing customers to pick their vegetables directly on the spot – a timely decision when people are starting to be more health conscious due to the pandemic sweeping the world.

From garden to table: Tanasurga, an all-organic restaurant located in Salatiga, Central Java, prides itself on growing its own food and processing its ingredients at their peak. (Organic Tanasurga/Courtesy of Organic Tanasurga)

“Through this garden-to-table experience, we allow customers to experience food in its most authentic form at the source so they can be aware of what their ingredients look like. On top of that, customers can enjoy their food while it’s at its peak of freshness without losing the nutrients inside, skipping the refrigeration part which will alter the taste of the food,” Setyo and Arina said. Jakarta Post.

The wide diversity of crops planted in the 1000 square meter property of Tanasurga ranges from vegetables like kale, beets and watercress, to herbs like turmeric, galangal and ginger, to name a few. -ones. On the menu are multi-course meals featuring Indonesian, Western and Middle Eastern cuisine derived from healthier ingredients.

Try Tanasurga’s version of traditional Yogyakarta palace desserts like manuk’s name (steamed sticky rice) and perawan kenes (roasted bananas served with coconut cream).

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For a more infallible taste of the archipelago, revel in ayam betutu (Balinese Spicy Chicken) and crowd favorite ayam goreng kalasan (Javanese fried chicken).

Tanasurga places health concerns at the heart of its practices, thus its signature wedang rempah (herbal drinks) has always been highly recommended. According to Setyo and Arina, this line was concocted based on healing merits in addition to taste.

Crowd favorite: Tanasurga’s signature beet salad is made with beets, peppers, cashews, arugula, onions, jicama, raisins and passion fruit, topped with a house dressing with passion fruit. (Organic Tanasurga/Courtesy of Organic Tanasurga)

Do you feel bad? Anti Flu (Ginger, Lemongrass, Clove, Cinnamon, Lime, Honey) and Anti Batuk (Lemongrass, Lime, Honey) will serve as an effortless aid for flu and cough relief. Need to de-stress? Give a few sips of Anti Stress (ginger, turmeric, tamarind, palm sugar). Or turn to Anti Maag (for ulcers, using ginger, lemongrass, pandan, honey) to fight indigestion, quite a reminder that nature still has many benefits in store for us beyond a boost of flavor.

With such a varied menu, Tanasurga sources from nearby local farmers other ingredients not available from its garden, especially those who uphold the same value of being pesticide-free in the treatment of their crops.

Organic farms

This well-cultivated relationship with the farming community is also reflected in the Tanasurga store, where it highlights the stories of the people behind the crop they sell; organic rice and palm sugar, for example. In doing so, Tanasurga encourages organic farming practices while forging a stronger bond with the local community.

Tanasurga strives to avoid highly processed ingredients, including condiments and dressings, which they manufacture from scratch. Ari Yudha Cahyanto, the chef who runs Tanasurga, acknowledged that there are a set of challenges with this commitment to keeping food fresh.

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As Ari said, “Our mayonnaise needs an entire day to prepare from soaking, boiling, and straining the soybeans. Then we let it sit overnight. That’s such a long process, and we can’t do it in bulk because we’re free.” conservatives.”

Cheers: Tanasurga’s signature drink, “wedang rempah” (herbal drink) uses freshly hand-picked spices and is popular among regular customers for its healing benefits. “Wedang rempah” comes in four variants: Anti Flu, Anti Maag (for ulcers), Anti Stress and Anti Batuk (for coughs). (Organic Tanasurga/Courtesy of Organic Tanasurga)

It’s also a challenge in itself, Ari added, to create healthy meal sounds that are less intimidating to Indonesians, who tend to put intense flavor enhancers in their food.

Despite all the ensuing challenges in bringing consumers closer to their food, including managing seasonal foods, higher costs and longer processing times, the garden-to-table movement shows no signs of slowing down. , not all over the world or in Indonesia. – and the same goes for Tanasurga. His go-to effort to serve garden-fresh food while reusing waste is an open invitation to be more mindful of the food we eat so that food can take care of our health.

“We would like to extend this healthy eating movement into everyday life. After all, healthy eating should be available to people not just as a last resort when faced with health issues, but at all times,” Arina said.