JAVANESE RICE WRAPPED IN TEAK LEAF. TRADITIONAL RECIPES

JAVANESE RICE WRAPPED IN TEAK LEAF

Javanese cuisine and culture place an important role in rice, the staple food of the island. 

Among Javanese it is considered not to have a meal if a person hasn't eaten rice yet. It is also important part of identity that differentiate Javanese with foreigners that eat bread (the Europeans) and resident of other island who eat sago (for example Moluccans). Rice is also symbol of development and prosperity, while cassava and tuber is associated with poverty.

Javanese cuisine is varied by regions. Eastern Javanese cuisine has preference for more salty and hot foods. While the Central Javanese prefer sweeter foods

Rice wrapped in teak leaf and the dishes accompanying it

Example of Javanese cuisine. Clockwise: fried tempeh, mlinjo crackers, gudeg with  rice wrapped in  teak leaf, green chili sambal and sliced lime 

Gudeg is a traditional food from Yogyakarta and Central Java which is made from young Nangka (jack fruit) boiled for several hours with palm sugar, and coconut milk.

But the most famous food originated in Java is perhaps tempeh, a meat substitute made from soy bean fermented with mold. It is a staple source of protein in Java and popular in the world as an excellent meat substitute for vegetarians

Tempe

Javanese do not usually have family names or surnames. Many have just a single name. For example, Sukarno or Suharto. Javanese names may come from traditional Javanese languages, many of which are derived from Sanskrit. Names with the prefix Su-,which means good, are very popular. After the advent of Islam, many Javanese began to use Arabic names, especially coast populations, where Islamic influences are stronger. Commoners usually only have one-word names, while nobilities use two-or-more-word names, but rarely a surname.

wikimedia commons –author unknown The traditional Karo Rice Barn

Nederlands: Foto. Een Karo Batak rijstschuur

Generally all over the Nusantara, rice is the staple food for the people

For the Karo people of North Sumatera, rice being the staple food of the region, as well as an important source of income and indicator of wealth, in the size of one's rice barn. The Karo traditionally planted rice once per year, using dry rice (in Indonesian 'ladang') cultivation. 

Rice cultivation has an important role in the traditional Karo religion (known as pemena).

In order to ensure the success of the rice-planting, the Merdang Merdem festival is conducted, paying homage to Beru Dayang, a female spirit also associated with childbirth, a process with which the rice planting is analogised by the Karo