Tradition of Halmahera People: Eat Raw Sea Worms
- Ifan Gusti
VIVA – There is an uncommon tradition carried out by people in East Halmahera Regency, North Maluku Province who live on the coast. The unique tradition is to catch sea worms or locally known as Laor. Usually, laor caught by Halmahera people for consumption.
This laor worm is a marine worm (Polychaeta, Annelida). There is a culture in Maluku known as the timba laor culture.
The scientific name of Laor is Lycde Oele from the class of Polychaeta phylum Annelida. It is full of color with a size of 2-30 centimeters. Laor only appears once a year around April and May. These animals come out of the coral reefs to the surface of the water on the coast at low tide.
The tradition of hunting laor among the coastal communities of East Halmahera is carried out only once a year. There are several places that became the focal point for arresting Laor, such as Leksowo, Beb, Rantub and other places.
Local people flocked to the place, because only that place was the location of the Laor, where the place had a suitable location of sea coral.
Berburu cacing laut di Halmahera Timur.
- Ifan Gusti
The hunt for sea worms involves adults and children. They flocked to the coast in the middle of the dark night with petromak (lamp) light.
How to catch this laor looks quite easy. This laor hides behind rocks or other rocks in the sea. The light from the petromak will invite the laor to gather. So, when it's time to catch, that's where hundreds of laor will swarm around us.
When it appears, these fishermen catch the laor using small nets or other filters. Usually, hunting laor is done in the late afternoon and early morning before sunrise. Hunted laor usually serve in various ways, like fried, grilled or even raw.
Consumption of laor is the same as consumption of rebon prawns when fried, and when smoked the texture of laor is crunchy and slightly elastic. However, if eaten raw, the flavor looks slimy.
In addition to East Halmahera Regency, laor hunting is also carried out by coastal communities in Morotai Island Regency.
