Karangasem, On the Wallace Line

Try the Delicious Pia Cake of Karangasem

When you come to eastern Bali, at Nongan village in Karangasem, you will breathe the aroma of pia cake, the traditional cake of Nongan. Pia is produced in great numbers at Nongan village about 40 km from Denpasar City. The pia cake industry started in 1982, and is growing on the scale of averages.

A pia cake entepreneur, Gede Muliawan, employs 120 people. In one day, they can produce about 2000 pia cakes in packs. The Pia cake is packed into plastic containers of 12 cakes. The price for each cake is Rp 250 or Rp. 2500 per dozen. The delicious pia cake contains unti dough inside the cake, for example, unti comes from green beans, palm sugar, or chocolate. The buyer may choose pia cake for its unti. Just try the delicious taste of the pia cake of Karangasem that can be found at many stalls in Bali, including Denpasar.
According to Gede Muliawan, the ingredients for making pia cake consist of wheat flour, sugar, butter, and green beans. Most of these ingredients are brought in from the Klungkung Regency and Denpasar City. For wrapping , dorslag paper (a white thin paper) is used.
The making process starts with making the outer surface dough, which is wheat flour mixed with warm water. The dough is made perfectly, not too weak (a little bit thick), so it can be flattened. Unti (the inside part) is made by soaking the green beans and then steaming. After cooked, the green beans are mixed with butter and sugar, then refined and cooked.
Put the unti within the inside part of the outer skin shaped in the form of a circle. Then, put the pia cake into the oven, then place into a refrigerator , then wrap inside the dorslag paper.
Some areas of Bali use this cake as ceremonial tools. However, according to Muliawan, pia cake is already commonly used for ngaben rites, (cremation ceremonial in Bali), and wedding ceremonies, because it’s long lasting and practical use. Pia cake can usually be stored for about 25 days.
(BTN/Wawan)