TOUR GUIDING

Drink Jamu a Day, Keep the Doctor Away

My favorite highlight during my tour guide years

The Jamu shop photo by @sekarph on Instagram. She was my tour participant and this photo was uploaded with her permission.

Every tour guide has their favorite stop on their tour.

When I worked as a part-time walking tour guide during my university years, one of my favorite stops was the Jamu shop.

The reason is simple — the shop is located within a traditional market, so it’s a very local experience for foreign tourists and gives them a good impression of the local culture.

I loved seeing their excited, surprised faces every time we visited the shop and tried the Jamu. And I often said, ‘Drink Jamu a day, keep the doctor away,’ to make my explanation interesting.

So, what is the Jamu?

Jamu is a traditional Javanese herbal drink.

It’s made from natural ingredients, mainly spices, herbs, roots, leaves, flowers — anything good that grows from the soil.

They typically taste bitter, as the locals believe ‘the bitter, the better,’ unless it’s the ones prepared for Children. Even so, the Jamu may still taste bitter if it’s a medicine for a sick child.

There are two types of Jamu we commonly consume daily. The first is Kunyit Asem, an orange-colored Jamu made from…