The ugliest noodles in the world, which are also trampled underfoot (9 photos)

In the Indonesian city of Bantul, traditional Mi Letek noodles are prepared exclusively in home factories and only by hand. The unique process of making Mi Letek noodles, which has been around for over 2,000 years, involves using buffalo strength and a method of flattening the noodles until they are firm and flat.





These Indonesian noodles are called mi letek (which means “ugly”), and they look... I’m waiting for your epithets. I would describe its dough as neatly folded vomit, and the dish itself as sloppily folded. It’s gray, slimy, somehow viscous .



However, it is in quite high demand. In any case, the Indonesian factory does not experience a shortage of buyers. Or maybe the fact is that there are only two such factories in the world. A unique product of its kind.





They work here the old fashioned way, with their hands without gloves, no one wears a hat.

How ugly noodles are made

The recipe is 2000 years old, they try to keep it unchanged. Moreover, noodles can be spoiled at every stage of complex production.

It is made from cassava root ground into flour. By the way, it can be dangerous to eat if it is not dried well enough. Therefore, after the noodles are formed, they are dried in the open sun for at least two days.



A handsome but stern bull knows his business

Over-resting the noodles is also dangerous, as they will quickly begin to deteriorate. The ugly noodles have a shelf life of 10 days, and unsold lots must be destroyed. So they are trying to go neck and neck with demand.

For days they trample it, roll it out and dry it. But by and large, there is nothing criminal for the Asian food industry.

All means of production are traditional - a huge mill with a heavy millstone, and a trained, tired bull works at it. And then, when the flour is sufficiently crushed, people help him with their hands (and feet, simply trample).



Calm down, the dough is being trampled through the bag! How else can one determine his readiness if the master has trained legs?

The head master feels with his feet when the dough is ready - dense enough to not fall apart when it is cut into strips. But at the same time it is homogeneous, without granules.

Then the dough is cut into large pieces, placed on a bamboo stretcher and heated in the oven so that it rises a little.



But my favorite part of cooking is the alien ominous dough!

That's when it starts to get ugly! The dough looks like a piece of slime, wobbles and “tears”. I honestly don’t want to touch it.

This swaying yum is thrown back into the millstones for grinding and the bulls are released. By the way, they are fed not only grass. When, after forming the noodles, there are extra broken noodles left, they are generously treated to make them stronger.



With such a powerful machine, a whole bag can be cut in about ten minutes

The newly rolled out dough is sent for cutting noodles. Now this is machine labor; professional equipment was purchased specifically for this. It turns out that in some places it is possible to use modern technologies, but in others it is not.

Maybe they just really like bulls.



When finished it looks a little slimy and a little dirty. This is what poorly cooked buckwheat noodles look like to me... It’s even a little offensive

The noodles themselves look fine before drying, much better than dough, and look like homemade ones. It again becomes viscous and gray, like the earth, which is why it is also called “dirty.” But Indonesians like the taste, because it is not just rye or wheat, but cassava root - which distinguishes it favorably in composition from other types of noodles.



And here’s how they dry it on a bamboo stretcher under the sun for several days in a row

I would try it just for fun, although I’ll be honest - it’s unpleasant to look at her dough, and to look at her herself - within the limits of tolerance, but not very appetizing.