Almost everyone living in Indonesia knows what rendang is, considering the large number of Padang food stalls scattered throughout the archipelago. But do any of us know about the history of this Padang-style rendang dish? Rendang is a traditional food from West Sumatra, Minangkabau to be precise, which is made of beef covered with a spicy concoction of spices.
History of Rendang
Rendang is a dish rich in spices with meat as its basic ingredient. Rendang also uses karambia (coconut milk) and a mixture of mashed special spices such as chili, galangal, ginger, turmeric, onions and other spices. The uniqueness of rendang is that the natural seasoning used has antiseptic properties, so it can be used as a natural preservative. Other spices are also known to have strong antimicrobial activity, and it's not surprising that rendang can last for months. For cooking rendang until the sauce is completely dry, the process will take about eight hours.
A search of the history of rendang will lead us to an area in western Sumatra, namely Minangkabau. For the Minang people, rendang has been a part of their culinary life since the time of their ancestors. For the history of when rendang was first created by himself, unfortunately not much written evidence can be found. One of the conjectures that emerged among researchers is that this food has appeared since the Minang people held their traditional event for the first time. The beginning of the history of the typical Padang rendang was heard everywhere, maybe it happened because this cooking art continues to develop from Riau, Mandailing, Jambi, even to Negeri Sembilan which is a federated state of Malaysia because of the Minang migrants who live there.
Records of rendang as a traditional food from the Minangkabau region were found in the early 19th century, but Gusti Anan, a historian from Andalas University in Padang has a suspicion that rendang has started to appear since the 16th century. He concluded this from the 19th century literary records where it was written that the Minangkabau people often traveled to the Malacca Straits to Singapore. They travel by water and can take approximately one month. Considering that there are no villages along the way, these nomads must have prepared a supply of food that will last for a long time, and that food is rendang. Gusti also suspects that the opening of new villages on the east coast of Sumatra to Singapore, Malacca and Malaysia by the Minang people in the 16th century also included rendang as their food because the journey took months.
Apart from historical records, the history of typical Padang rendang dishes can also be found in the diary notes of Colonel Stuers who in 1827 wrote about culinary and literature. The notes often implicitly appear in culinary descriptions that allegedly lead to rendang and write the terms blackened and charred food. According to Gusti, this is one of the preservation methods commonly used by Minang people. Rendang itself comes from the word "merandang," which is to cook coconut milk until it dries slowly, this is compatible with rendang which really takes a long time to cook until the broth is dry.
The history of rendang is also inseparable from the arrival of people from Arabia and India on the west coast of Sumatra. It is believed that in the 14th century, there were already many Indians living in the Minang area, and herbs and spices were introduced by these people. There are also allegations that say that curry dishes which have become typical Indian food and were introduced in the 15th century in the Minang area are the basis of the rendang itself. This is very possible given the existence of a trading contract with India at that time. The heir to the throne of the Paguruyung kingdom also opened up the possibility that rendang is a further processed curry. What makes it different is that rendang has drier properties, so it can last much longer when compared to curry.
The typical Padang rendang dish has not died until now, and has even become increasingly famous with the mushrooming of Padang food stalls in every corner of the city in the archipelago. Even though it is known for its meat-based form, there are actually many other variations of rendang, such as chicken, duck, liver, egg, lung and tuna rendang. Apart from that, there is also suir rendang which comes from Payakumbuh. What distinguishes suir rendang from regular rendang is the chicken or beef used, the meat fiber will be shredded into small pieces.
Rendang Philosophy
Padang's typical rendang food as a traditional dish has an honorable position in social life in Minangkabau. This is because the ingredients for making rendang have their own meaning. The first ingredient is meat or beef which is also the main ingredient symbolizing the niniak mamak and bundo kanduang, where they will give prosperity to the anakbanana and the nephew's children. The second ingredient is karambia or coconut, which symbolizes intellectuals or what is called Cadiak Pandai in Minang language, where they bind groups and individuals together. The third is Lado or sambal as a symbol of pious scholars who are firm and spicy in teaching religion. The final ingredient is cooking or seasoning, which symbolizes each individual where each individual has their own role to promote group life and is the most important element in Minang community life.
This is brief information about the history of Padang's famous rendang cuisine/food, which is worldwide, hopefully it can add to your knowledge about the history of traditional dishes in Indonesia. Let's protect and preserve the culinary wealth that we have, especially in this case rendang dishes. Do not let our ancestral heritage be hijacked by other countries like the cases that have happened before.
Here we present tips for making original rendang padang that are worldwide..
How to Cook Rendang So It Tastes Good
Original Minang Rendang Ingredients
The main ingredient:
1 kg of beef
1 kg of thick coconut milk from 3 old coconuts
1 glass of water
2 sticks of lemongrass
5 kaffir lime leaves
2 lbs of turmeric leaves
2 tamarind aground
5 cloves
2 cm cinnamon
2 star anise (if any)
Salt to taste
Ground spices:
20 red chilies
20 shallots
6 cloves of garlic
2 cm ginger
2 cm galangal
1 tsp coriander
How to Make Original Minang Meat Rendang
Cut the meat according to taste. Do not wash meat to prevent bacteria from spreading through the water.
Grind or blend all the ground spices.
Heat a pan, then add coconut milk, water and beef. Keep stirring so the coconut milk doesn't break.
While continuing to stir, add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaves, kandis acid, and salt.
Cook over low heat for a few hours so that the meat becomes tender and the spices brown.
After it dries and turns brown, add the cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. Wait for it to dry and oil will come out.
Serve on a flat plate with a sprinkling of onions to add to the enjoyment of the beef rendang.
Also Read:
Here's How to Make Delicious and Soft Sundanese Tofu Pepes
That's the original Minang beef rendang recipe that you can try at home. With this, you can feel the taste of typical Minang rendang without having to come to Padang directly. This soft and tasty rendang is perfect as a friend to eat rice that is filling, you know.
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