Klungkung, Ancient Kingdoms

Jaja Kinkin Kamasan
Earnings Resource and Sustaining the Tradition

Beside popular with traditional puppet painting, silver and iron handicraft, Kamasan Village, Klungkung is also famed for Balinese traditional cake making. Passed down by generation to generation, Kamasan villagers make many kinds traditional cakes for ceremonial purposes, such as jaja sintok, begina, and kinkin (jaja in Balinese terms means cake).

“This traditional making process is our tradition through out time as a legacy of our ancestor,” said Wayan Pusparini. Perhaps, the tradition of Balinese cake making existed and developed from the era of Klungkung’s Kingdom in the 16th Century.
However, today, less families are running this type of business, but many of them still have the skills of Balinese cake making. On the other hand the increasing needs of Balinese cake for ceremonial purposes, makes the skill a promising commercial opportunity. “I often get exhausted making cakes for the market’s needs. The day before the Holy day, the request for Balinese cakes will surely improve,” Pusparini said.
Several cakes that are used by the people of Klungkung are kinkin cake. The ingredients for kinkin cake are wheat flour, roasted coconut, palm sugar and salt. According to Wayan, the making process of kinkin cake is started by cooking the sticky powder on the pan without adding any oil or water. After cooking it produces an aromatic smell, then mix the rasped coconut with palm sugar and enough salt. The cooked wheat flour is then mixed with the rasped roasted coconut, palm sugar, and salt. Add water to the mixture, so it will easily mill. The mill is shaped just like a heart. Several people in Klungkung sometimes call kinkin cake,” heart cake.”
The outside smear is made from rice flour, white lime, and salt. Mix in the ingredients with the water until weak. Then, the heart mill is dipped into the smear mixture and fried. The cooked kinkin cake is of brownish color, and can be stored for up to a month.
In the market, kinkin cake is sold for Rp. 200, - each. Pusparini also explains, when a Hindu Holy day comes, together with her 2 workers, make 1000 kinkin cakes per day, and it is easy to sell them. If the cake is sold out, they will earn Rp 200.000. The beneficial margin is quite enough to pay the workers.
Finally, for Pusparini and people just like her, the skill of making Balinese traditional cake, is not only an earnings resource, but also the fulfillment of a tradition. (BTN/033)