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Indonesian Cuisine

Bika Ambon

From North Sumatra

Medan's honeycomb-textured cake, perfumed with kaffir lime and pandan, sweet and creamy from coconut milk.

DessertsSweet DishesHeritage DishesMedanFood Souvenirs

Key ingredients

  • โ€ขTepung tapioka
  • โ€ขTelur
  • โ€ขSantan
  • โ€ขGula
  • โ€ขTape singkong
  • โ€ขDaun jeruk
  • โ€ขDaun pandan
  • โ€ขKunyit
  • โ€ขRagi

Origin

Despite the name "Ambon," this cake is a Medan icon. One popular story traces the name to Jalan Ambon street in Medan where it first found a following. Today it's the city's definitive souvenir.

Flavor Profile

The signature texture is vertical honeycomb pockets from a tape (fermented cassava) starter. Sweet and creamy, with strong notes of kaffir lime leaf and pandan.

How It's Served

Sliced cold or at room temperature. Sold in many flavors today: original, pandan, cheese, durian, chocolate.

The GeoKepo Team

The GeoKepo team is a group of writers and researchers passionate about Indonesian geography. We are dedicated to making the archipelago easier to understand and explore, and every article is researched in depth to keep it accurate and useful.

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