Betawi cuisine, a culinary journey through history

Betawi cuisine, a culinary journey through history

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The capital's rich and diverse history can be traced not only in
a tour of its museums, but also in its kitchens.

Unfortunately, many traditional Betawi, or native Jakarta,
dishes are slowly dying out.

Most Jakarta residents would probably name kerak telor (a
glutinous rice cake cooked with egg and served with shredded
coconut and a dried shrimp topping), soto betawi (beef entrail
soup with diced tomatoes and slices of fried potato) and asinan
Jakarta (pickled vegetables) as Betawi dishes.

They may also know about rujak juhi (vegetables served with
shredded dried squid and peanut sauce) or bakso (meatball soup).

The dishes are popular in Jakarta, but that is no guarantee
they were first cooked up in the city.

"Not many people know about Betawi dishes, and many consider
dishes like soto betawi and asinan Jakarta as 'authentic' Betawi
dishes simply because they have the words Betawi or Jakarta
attached to them," said culinary expert and restaurant owner
William Wongso.

"But that's not necessarily so."

William explained that nasi uduk (savory rice cooked in
coconut and served with several side dishes) may be a local
version of the Malay dish nasi lemak, and sop kaki kambing (a
rich lamb soup) is considered a Betawi dish simply because it is
not found anywhere else.

However, the origins of the rest are not very clear.

The cuisine evolved with influences from various cuisines
brought by waves of newcomers to the city.

From the small port of Sunda Kalapa, it grew into an active
hub of international trade, primarily involving Indian and Arab
traders.

Drawn by the spice trade, the Portuguese were the first
Europeans to arrive in the early 16th century, followed by the
Dutch later in the same century.

The small but important ethnic Chinese community also left its
mark on local cuisine.

Since foreign communities were kept in enclaves under Dutch
colonial rule, the culinary concentration grew in each area:
Tanah Abang for Arab cuisine, the Kuningan area for Chinese food
and Tugu in North Jakarta for Portuguese.

With knowledge gleaned from the communities, Betawi people
created such culinary hybrids as Portuguese-influenced pindang
serani Marunda (a fish dish with vegetables), Dutch-influenced
semur jengkol (a type of pungent-smelling vegetable stewed in a
soy sauce) and sayur papasan (mixed vegetable soup), as well as a
local variation of chicken curry.

"Some Betawi dishes can explain the past condition of Betawi
people in Jakarta," said gastronomy expert Suryatini N. Ganie.

Kerak telor, she said, was created due to the low quality of
local glutinous rice, with the egg and other toppings added to
make it more tasty and satisfying.

Soto tangkar, which is a meat soup today, was mostly made from
the broth of bones in the past because meat was expensive.

Each mayoralty in the city developed its own version of a
dish; for instance, the nasi uduk of one area was slightly
different from another. Migrants from within the country who
flocked to one area of Jakarta would put their own culinary stamp
on the dishes available there.

"It's not uncommon that the name of the place is attached to
the famous version of the dish, like nasi uduk Slipi (from West
Jakarta) or semur jengkol Kramat Jati (East Jakarta)," Suryatini
said.

As notorious as durian for its odor, jengkol, when properly
prepared and well-spiced, is considered tastier than meat by many
Betawi, she added.

There are also traditional cakes known as kue basah, including
kue pepe (a sticky, sweet layered cake made of glutinous rice
flour), kue ape-ape (a soft-centered cake with a flimsy but crisp
crust), kue gemblong (a coconut cake), kue pancong and dodol (a
sticky confectionery made of coconut, glutinous rice and brown
sugar).

Most of the cakes can still be found in traditional markets,
such as Pasar Mayestik and Pasar Senen, both of which open at 3
a.m.

Some popular Betawi one-meal dishes, like ketoprak (rice
noodles, bean sprouts and tofu served with peanut sauce), soto
Betawi, soto tangkar, kerak telor and asinan Jakarta are sold
from pushcarts or at sidewalk food stalls.

Sadly, many other dishes can no longer be found in Jakarta as
the Betawi community were pushed out of the inner city to the
suburbs in the wave of development under the Soeharto government.

Still, Suryatini said, the Betawi continue to serve
traditional mainstays at family celebrations, such as roti buaya
(a pair of crocodile-shaped loaves of bread, which is a symbol of
loyalty and monogamy), pesor (rice cake wrapped in banana leaves)
and pesmol (a fish dish).

The mildly spiced and nutritious sayur papasan is commonly
served to warm and strengthen the mother's body after giving
birth.

There is also bir pletok, which is not, as its name would
suggest, an alcoholic drink but made from the bark of the secang
tree.

But today's culinary scene is populated by gourmet restaurants
and fast-food eateries. While food from around the country,
especially Manadonese, Sundanese and Central Java, have made the
transition to more upmarket franchise restaurants, Betawi food
remains the domain of small family-owned operations and sidewalk
stalls.

William said that popular Betawi food, like Jakarta-style
fried chicken and semur Betawi, could undergo a culinary makeover
to suit more eclectic palates.

"The adjustments include replacing ingredients with strong
flavors and aromas, like jengkol or pete (a small, pungent green
bean) or innards and substitute them with other ingredients or
meats," he said.

"As for asinan Jakarta, it can be served with shrimp as an
interesting cold salad."

As with its development throughout history, Betawi food may
need to change with the times.