Sunday morning at Sabindo Guest Market. As usual, the weekly market located on Habib Sheikh Street is busy with traders and buyers.
For the traders to sell various agricultural products, vegetables, fresh fish, and traditional snacks here. In addition, there are also traders selling clothes, fresh plants, pets, and simple electronic devices.
Meanwhile, at every intersection, street musicians were performing, singing dangdut or nasyid songs.
With various activities of traders and buyers, this market has become one of the centers of community activities every weekend for shopping or just strolling.
Just like some residents of Tawau, this morning the author also joined the crowd at Tamu Sabindo market. Among the many items on sale, one that caught attention was a traditional brown-colored small round cake topped with sesame seeds.
"Please, this is Baruasa cake, one bag for 5 Ringgit," said a seller mother at Pasar Tamu Sabindo, Tawau, with a strong Bugis accent, as she saw me staring at the small brown round cakes with sesame seeds on top.
"New Baruasa?" the author asked, trying to be convincing, as he had honestly never heard that name before.
"Yes, Baruasa cake. A cake made from wheat flour fried together with coconut, this one uses palm sugar," explained the selling mother.
"It has a salty taste with a bit of sweetness from palm sugar, making it suitable as a companion to tea or coffee," added the mother.
Seeing the shape of the cake, the writer is reminded of Gambang cake from Betawi, which is also sprinkled with sesame seeds. The difference is that Gambang cake is long-shaped, made from wheat flour, while Baruasa is round and smaller, made from wheat flour and coconut.
Curious about the name of the cake, the author asked Google. From the search results, it was found that the Baruasa cake originates from Bugis, South Sulawesi. Its presence in Tawau is due to the long history of migration of people from Bugis to Sabah, Malaysia.
Since dozens of years ago, many Bugis migrants have come to work in plantations or trade. They brought along their culinary traditions, including the Baruasa cake, which is usually made during Lebaran in their hometown.
As time goes by, Baruasa cake can be easily found in various weekly markets or cake shops in Tawau. Even some non-Bugis local residents have already known it as a traditional snack of Tawau.
For the Bugis people in exile, eating Baruasa is a way to remember their hometown.
"Whenever I eat Baruasa, it feels like being at home," said Tahang, a customer who has been living in Tawau for 20 years.
The presence of this cake is not just a complement to the market trade, but also a cultural bridge between South Sulawesi and Tawau. Behind its sweet-savory taste lies a story of people's journey in search of a better living across the sea.
Therefore, the Baruasa cake in Sabindo Guest Market and other markets such as Tanjung Market is not only a light snack, but also a symbol of friendship, family ties, and nostalgia for the Bugis migrants in Tawau.
New Kue Baruasa also witnessed the culinary migration brought by Bugis migrants to Tawau. This brown round snack with sesame topping is now one of the traditional snacks in Tawau's traditional market.
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