Lawa' and Pacco', Luwu's Typical Raw Fish Dishes
Fish-based foods are in great demand in almost all countries in the world. We know various types of fish-based dishes from cooked foods to raw foods, such as sashimi and sushi in Japan.
Indonesia, which is known as one of the maritime countries with abundant fishery products, does not escape fish-based dishes. Not a few of these types of dishes have become specialties in various regions in Indonesia.
If Japan has sushi and sashimi, one area in South Sulawesi also has a similar dish. This similarity makes the culinary specialty of Luwu Regency known as the sashimi of the Luwu people.
The dish is known as pacco' and lawa'. Using fish as the main ingredient, the two dishes are both processed without going through the heating process. That is what makes it included in the type of raw food.
Pacco' and lawa' can both use the same type of fish. However, pacco' more often uses a type of fish that is larger in size than lawa'.
The types of fish that are usually used for these two dishes are generally medium-sized fish, such as lemuru, anchovies, or mackerel. The fish to be processed into pacco' and lawa' must first be washed, then separated from the head and bones.
Medium-sized fish, such as mackerel or lemuru, will be cut into pieces. Meanwhile, small fish such as anchovies will only go through the separation process between the meat and the fish bones.
After that, the fish will be soaked for 10 minutes with lime or lemon juice before moving on to the next stage. This process aims to eliminate the bacteria and fishy odor in the fish meat, considering that these two dishes are not cooked.
In the next stage, the fish for pacco' dish will be squeezed from the marinade and then mixed with additional seasonings, such as fried peanuts, chilies, and salt.
This dish creates a blend of fresh, sweet, sour, and savory flavors from ground peanuts. Pacco is distinctive for its spicy taste because the process of making this food often uses dozens or even dozens of chilies.
In contrast to lawa' which is a slightly more complex process. After the previous stage of soaking the fish, the fish will be mixed with grated coconut that has been roasted. Lawa' is usually added with vegetables, such as ferns or young banana blossoms.
However, both the fern or the banana heart will be boiled for 5 minutes and then drained. Furthermore, the vegetables are mixed with fish and grated coconut. Regarding spices, lawa' uses the same main spices as pacco', namely salt, and chili.
Despite their differences, these two dishes do not necessarily compete with each other. On the contrary, the two seemed to be side by side with each other. This is evident from the fact that both of them are often served at family gatherings and are a favorite menu in various restaurants in Luwu.
If you are interested in tasting these two dishes, you can find them in almost all Bugis restaurants or restaurants in South Sulawesi. One of the recommended restaurants is Aroma Luwu at Jalan Bear No. 63, Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Even though it is in Makassar, the taste of pacco' and lawa' that is carried in this place is almost the same as the area of origin, Luwu Regency. Also, the price offered is also fairly cheap, with a plate of lawa' and pacco' priced between IDR 20,000-25,000 each.
Not only the “duet” of raw fish dishes, the restaurant, which is open from 09.00-21.00 WITA, also provides other Luwu specialties, such as lime, barobbo, parede fish, and dange. Just an addition, the Aroma Luwu restaurant itself has two other branches, which are located at Jalan Sultan Hasanuddin and Jalan Tamalanrea Indah, Makassar City.