Villagers in Yensawai, Indonesia, use fruits harvested from mangroves to form delicious-looking sponge cakes.

Rosita Infaindan, a native of West Papua, uses the mangrove fruit as cake flour.

The woman explained that the fruits need to be thoroughly washed and the sap needs to be removed.

Then boiled for an hour before being peeled and sliced. The slices are then soaked in seawater for 24 hours and then dried.

One of the village's visitors, Affalia Maydy Hatika, said she was amazed by the Infaindan's technique and how she uses natural resources.

The fruit, known locally as aiwon, grows on large-leafed orange mangrove plants and has a high carbohydrate content.

The Innovation of Residents in a Village in Indonesia, Turning Mangrove Fruits Into Delicious Sponge Cake

The natural charm of Raja Ampat district, a district in Indonesia is not only famous for its natural beauty of the sea, but also the creative charm of local residents who continue to innovate by managing the results of their natural resources to be used as nutritious food. One of them is the innovation of mangrove fruit which is used as a sponge cake. The results of the mangrove fruit made into sponge cakes are also very delicious. This innovation was carried out by women in Yensawai village, North Batanta District, Raja Ampat Regency, West Papua Province.

In Raja Ampat Regency, especially in Yensaway Village, mangrove forests have a very important function, especially for the flora and fauna that live on the coast. Mangrove plants are a place for spawning fish, shrimp, and other marine biota. The more sustainable the mangroves, the more the productivity of this marine biota will increase.

Yensawai Village is one of the implementation areas for the Coremap-CTI ICCTF-Bappenas carried out by PKSPL - IPB with grant funds from the world bank.

Mangrove forests can also be used for the development of natural tourism. In addition, Mangroves also function as protection against abrasion/high waves or tsunamis.

Apart from these many benefits, it turns out that Mangroves can also be used as food ingredients, one of which is the manufacture of flour which is processed into delicious sponge cakes.

Mrs. Rosita Infaindan, a native Papuan woman nicknamed Srikandi from Yensaway Village, has succeeded in making Mangrove fruit into a delicious sponge cake.

Then what is the form of using mangroves as food? here's the review.

On my way to Yensawai Village, I met women in the village with their skills in turning mangrove fruit into very delicious sponge cakes and pandanus.

Local residents, especially women, use mangroves as ingredients to make sponge cakes. Yes, mangroves can be used as cake flour.

The mangrove fruit used comes from the type of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza which in the local language is named Aiwon fruit.

The head of the Yensawai Mangrove group, Rosita Infaindan, is a cake maker from Aiwon. He told that the process of making sponge cake using Aiwon was quite time-consuming.

The first step, Aiwon must be washed thoroughly to remove the sap on the fruit. Next, Aiwon should be boiled for 1 hour, then peeled and sliced.

If it is, the Aiwon slices are then boiled again for the same duration and replaced with water 2 to 4 times to get rid of the smell. Furthermore, the boiled Aiwon is soaked in sea water for 24 hours and dried.

This process must be done, because according to Rosita to avoid allergies from consuming mangrove fruit which will be processed into flour.

Rosita revealed that there is no specific amount of flour made from Mangrove fruit in making sponge cakes. The dose used is made by each sponge cake maker.

The time to bake a cake using an oven hoock depends on the type of stove used.

Furthermore, according to Rosita, the use of Aiwon as food has been carried out for a long time. He explained that the use of Aiwon as food has been done since their parents first.

Where Aiwon or Mangrove flour that has been mixed with flour and becomes a dough can also be eaten with fish soup, and Aiwon forms are made with other shapes besides sponge cake.

One of the visitors in Yensawai Village, Affalia Maydy Hatika admitted that she was very amazed by the innovations made by the women in the village, who cultivate their natural resources and this is a creative step.

In addition, according to Affalia, Mangrove flour used as an ingredient for making sponge cakes is also able to produce a delicious taste and has a dense texture.

Residents of Yensawai Village told that since time immemorial the locals have used this fruit as a substitute for sago, corn, cassava, and rice during food crises.

This is because Aiwon has the potential to be used as a food source that is rich in carbohydrates. As reported by the official ICCTF website, Aiwon has the potential to be used as a source of carbohydrate-rich food to meet human nutritional needs.

In addition, in several countries, Aiwon is also used as a food preparation. Solomon Island for example, they make aiwon fruit as a vegetable and sell it in the market. In Cambodia and several other countries, Aiwon is used as a malaria drug, cancer drug or tumor.