THE sticky confection, about 2 centimeters in length, is neatly wrapped in plastic. It tastes sweet. “But you can feel the sand,” said Aris Priyono who received the snack from someone in Kebumen, Central Java.

This sticky confection, Aris said, is made of Brugueragym norrhiza, a species of mangrove whose fruit is like long bean. Aris, a member of the honorary council of KeSEMat is now collecting recipes with mangrove as the raw material. Ke