Annissa Wulan
Oct 22, 2025
Gudeg is a typical dish from Yogyakarta and Central Java. Gudeg is made from young jackfruit or gori cooked in coconut milk.
Gudeg usually takes hours to make. The brown color of gudeg comes from the teak leaves that are cooked together. Gudeg is typically served with rice, accompanied by a thick coconut milk sauce called areh, as well as free-range chicken, duck, eggs, tempeh, tofu, and krecek, a fried chili sauce.
Gudeg is made from jackfruit, which grows abundantly in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java. Many spices and herbs are used to boil the young jackfruit, which in turn increases the shelf life of the gudeg.
Origins
According to stories written in the Serat Centhini, gudeg is estimated to have been known since the 16th or 17th century, before the Yogyakarta Sultanate was founded. The Serat Centhini also mentions that gudeg was a food sold during festive occasions, usually in conjunction with wayang performances. Gudeg is also a dish served to entertain guests in rural Java.
According to National Geographic, during the early days of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom, in the Kotagede area, specifically in Alas Mentaok, many fruit trees were cut down. These included melinjo, coconut, and young jackfruit trees, which were abundant in the area.
These trees were cut down because they were considered worthless, and their availability was always abundant. This situation prompted residents and workers to process and create dishes using young jackfruit creatively.
One such dish is sayur gori (vegetables made from gori), which is boiled in a large cauldron for hours until the gori becomes incredibly tender. Given the large portion size, intended for hundreds of people, the cooking process requires constant stirring with a large wooden spoon. This process is called hangudek or hangudeg in Javanese, which later inspired the name of this dish, gudeg.
Yogyakarta is the City of Gudeg
Gudeg is always associated with Yogyakarta, leading to Yogyakarta sometimes being nicknamed the City of Gudeg. Even today, gudeg vendors are a popular food source for tourists, leading to the establishment of "Gudeg Specialty Food Centers," one of which is located in the Wijilan area, east of the Yogyakarta Palace.
How to Serve Gudeg
There are two types of gudeg: dry gudeg and wet gudeg. Yogyakarta gudeg is drier and lasts longer than Solo gudeg or gudeg from other regions.
Based on its ingredients, gudeg is divided into three types: gudeg gori (young jackfruit gudeg), gudeg rebung (bamboo shoot gudeg), and gudeg manggar (mango gudeg). Manggar gudeg is usually served only on special occasions and was a favorite of Sultan Hamengkubowono X.