Kudus

Kudus is a city in northeast Central Java in Indonesia.

Understand
Kudus has two main claims to fame. The first is as the cradle of Islam in Java. It was in the then port towns of Kudus and Demak to the west, that the nine religious leaders arrived, who introduced Islam to Java. They are now referred to as the Wali Songo, and are revered as saints.

The second claim to fame is as Indonesia's capital of the clove cigarette, kretek. The town is home to one of the biggest brands, Djarum, employing 75,000 workers.

Get in
The nearest airport and railway station are in Semarang, 1-2 hours to the west.

A Semarang taxi should be willing to take you to Kudus if picking you up either at the airport or railway station in Semarang.

If travelling in by bus from the west, the buses depart from Terboyo bus station on the eastern side of Semarang.

Road travel from Surabaya to the east will be around six hours.

By ojek
Using ojek (motorcycle taxi) is more flexible to go to tourists or public objects.

By ride-hailing app
There are some online ride-hailing apps such as Gojek. You may choose to go by motorcycle or car.

See

 * Old Town - also known as Kauman
 * Kretek (clove-scented cigarette) factories
 * Kretek (clove-scented cigarette) factories

Mountaineering
Hiking to Mount Muria peak (1,700 masl) via Rahtawu village.

Buy

 * Jenang — this palm sugar and coconut milk confection is the gift of choice for visitors wanting to take something back for family or friends. There are a plethora of small stalls clustered around the mosque, selling religious paraphernalia, but also jenang.
 * Soto Kudus spices — if you wander in to the maze of streets to the side of, and behind the mosque, you may see signs offering the spices for Soto Kudus, for sale. You'll get a little twist of paper with enough ground spices for one dish. Sauté onion and garlic in a splash of oil, add the contents of the wrapper, and cook until smelling delicious. Add meat or vegetables of your choice, enough stock to cover, and simmer until done. That's probably how the recipe goes. Grease it up with some coconut milk if you have any. Remember, no beef please, but buffalo is OK if you have it.

Eat
The dish which bears the town's name is Soto Kudus, a soup served with rice. This is the local version of the generic dish that is found across the archipelago in a myriad of local varieties. In Kudus the meat tends to be chicken of buffalo. There seems to be a local presumption against eating beef from cows, perhaps in recognition of the town's pre-Islamic Hinduism. The spicing for the soup is heavier with the warm notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, reminiscent of the curries of south Asia.



Drink
Try local wedang (hot drink).
 * Wedang pejuh, is made from pomelo, ginger, lemongrass, and also sweetened condensed milk.

Connect
The telephone area code of Kudus is 0291.

Go next

 * East
 * Pati
 * Rembang
 * Surabaya
 * North
 * The mountain village of Colo lies on the slopes of Mount Muria around 45 minutes drive north of Kudus. Garden restaurant Waroeng Keboen Iboe is a pleasant escape from the heat of the lowland plains.
 * Jepara
 * South
 * Grobogan
 * West
 * Demak, once the center of Demak Sultanate.
 * Semarang, capital of Central Java.