Cheeses of Enrekang
Mountain country in South Sulawesi where dangke, a fresh cheese set with papaya, is wrapped in banana leaves.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: May to October, the drier season.
Enrekang is a hilly regency in South Sulawesi, between the coast and the Toraja highlands. It is the home of dangke, Indonesia's best-known traditional cheese. Made from cow or buffalo milk set with papaya sap, it is a rare dairy food in a country with little cheese, and it is closely tied to the Duri people of the Enrekang hills.
Dangke
Fresh milk is heated with sliced papaya leaves, stems or green papaya, whose sap contains an enzyme that sets the curd. The curd is pressed into coconut-shell moulds, soaked in brine overnight and wrapped in banana leaves to soften the bitter note of the papaya. It is eaten grilled, fried with chilli, or as a side dish with rice.
The hills
Enrekang's districts of Baraka, Anggeraja and Alla are where most dangke is made, in small home dairies. The landscape is steep and green, with views of Buttu Kabobong, a mountain locals call Gunung Nona. The road continues north to Tana Toraja, so many travellers stop in Enrekang for a meal on the way.
A trail idea for Enrekang
- Enrekang town Look for dangke in banana leaf at market and roadside stalls.
- Buttu Kabobong The viewpoint over the mountain known as Gunung Nona.
- Anggeraja One of the districts where dangke is made at home.
- Road to Toraja Continue north into the highlands of Tana Toraja.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Enrekang Regency" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Dangke: RianHS, CC BY-SA 4.0, source