Despite its Javanese name—Selat Solo—that denote "salad", its centerpiece is the chunk of beef (preferably tenderloin) that makes this dish hardly a salad, it is more likely to be categorized as a type of braised beef steak in Javanese mildly sweet watery sauce. Some might describe this dish as the cross-over between beefsteak, salad and soup.[1] This dish sometimes also called as Bistik Jawa (Javanese beefsteak), although Javanese beefsteak could refer to another similar dish with less watery sauce.
History
During colonial Dutch East Indies era, European colonizers brought with them European ingredients and their cooking technique. Some of Javanese upperclass ningrat (nobles) and educated native Javanese were exposed to European cuisine; such as breads, cheeses and beefsteak, this cuisine was held in high esteem as the cuisine of the upper class of Dutch East Indies society. This led to adoption and fusion of European cuisine into local Javanese cuisine, such as the development of Selat Solo recipe in Surakarta, the heart of Javanese court of Surakarta Sunanate. It is believed that the recipe was the fusion; a local Javanese adoption of European beefsteak.[2] The trace of European influence can be seen in the use of mustard or hollandaise and Worcestershire sauce, while the Javanese preference of mild sweetness can be tasted in the use of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce).
