Wingko

Wingko, which is sometimes called Wingko Babat, is a traditional food from Indonesia.

It is a kind of cake made mainly of coconut and other ingredients. Wingko is popular especially along the north coast of Java island. It is sold mostly by peddlers on trains, at bus stations, train stations, or in the producer’s own shop. This might explain why it's very popular in Java to use wingko as a gift to families upon returning from traveling.

Wingko is typically a round, almost hard coconut cake that is typically served in warm, small pieces. Wingko is sold either in the form of a large, plate-sized cake or small, paper wrapped cakes. It's delicious due to the combined sweetness of sugar and the unique, fresh taste of crispy coconut. The price varies, depending on where it's sold. The more famous the brand of cake, the more expensive the cake. Your bargaining skills might lower the price a little.

The most famous wingko is made in Semarang, the capital city of Central Java province, and thus it is often mistakenly believed that wingko is local food from Semarang. As its full name, wingko babat, suggests, wingko actually originated in Babat, a small regency in Lamongan, a municipality in East Java. Babat is near the border with Bojonegoro, another municipality in East Java which is now famous for its teak wood and recently discovered oil field.

In Babat, which is only a small town in comparison with Semarang, wingko plays a big role in its economy. There are many wingko factories in that city which employ a large number of workers. The factories take in a large number of coconut fruit from the neighbouring municipalities.

Wingko making is said to be brought from Babat to Semarang by an Indonesian Chinese couple Loe Lan Hwa and her husband, The Ek Tjong who became a refugee in the middle of World War II, around 1944. In Semarang, the couple created a wingko industry that continues at the factory of Loe Soe Siang, Loe Lan Hwa’s father in Babat. Their product is called “Wingko Cap Kereta Api” (Train’s wingko), because The Ek Tjong works at a nearby train station.

Today wingko is a famous food in both Babat and Semarang with various brands and sizes of wingko for sale. Most wingko factories are still owned by Indonesian Chinese and some still use Chinese language names for their brands.