What is "arsik"

Arsik is an Indonesian fish dish of the Batak Toba people and Mandailing people of North Sumatra, usually using the common carp (known in Indonesia as 'ikan mas' (gold fish)).

Distinctively Batak elements of the dish are the use of torch ginger fruit ('asam cikala'), and ' andaliman' (Indonesian szechuan pepper). Common Indonesian spices such as shallots, garlic, ginger, fresh turmeric root and chili are also used.

Andaliman, essential for the distinctive taste of the dish, is known to grow only in the Batak highlands above 1500 metres of North Tapanuli and Samosir, hence this dish is regarded as specifically of the Batak Toba and Mandailing, who dwell in these areas.