From Borneo With Love: The Curious Case of Pisang Pontianak

🌍 PONTIANAK | BORNEOTRAVEL :  Have you ever heard of Pisang Pontianak? 

The name alone is enough to stir the appetite. Evocative and exotic, it conjures not just the image of golden-fried bananas, but also their flavor — crisp outside, tender inside, and wrapped in the unmistakable perfume of srikaya spice, a tropical medley with hints of sweetsop and caramel.

In Jakarta, Indonesia’s bustling capital, the snack is nothing short of a phenomenon. Step into neighborhoods like Jalan Jayakarta and you’ll find queues snaking down the sidewalks — up to three meters long on weekends. The wait can stretch to hours. Yet, the mood is patient, even joyful. For many Jakartans, the indulgence is worth every second.

But what most customers don’t know is that the Pisang Pontianak they savor in the capital is a mere echo of the original.

Here’s where the story takes a twist.

In Pontianak — the equatorial city on the island of Borneo where the snack originated — pisang goreng (fried banana) is an art form. The bananas are large, full-bodied, with a thin, crisp coat that shatters like pastry under the bite. Each bite releases a burst of freshness — a flavor only fruits plucked straight from the stalk can deliver.

Compare that to Jakarta’s version: bananas no bigger than an adult’s thumb, wrapped in a coating so thick it resembles the pudgy hand of a toddler. And while the taste is still delicious, there's a tiredness in the fruit, a faint wrinkle that tells of long journeys across sea or sky. One vendor admitted the obvious: “Yes, we fly them in from Pontianak. Or ship them when cargo's tight.”

That logistical trail adds up. The result? Higher prices, mostly catered to the capital’s upper class, where "authenticity" is bought at a premium. Yet ironically, the very journey that brings Pisang Pontianak to Jakarta is what distances it from its soul.

It’s a classic case of culinary diaspora — a beloved regional dish becomes a nationwide craze, but loses something of its essence in the transition.

To truly understand the magic of Pisang Pontianak, one must go to the source. Walk the streets of Pontianak city, where vendors fry their bananas fresh under the midday sun. There’s no artificial gloss, no chemical preservatives — only the pure taste of place and tradition.

Pisang Pontianak. More than a snack. It’s a love letter from Borneo — best read where it was first written.