Traditional production of cooking oil revived

By Agus Maryono and Ngudi Utomo

PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): Many people have shed tears during the current economic turmoil as they can no longer afford to buy staple foods and other basic needs.

Prices have not only doubled, they have tripled, or even quintupled. Cooking oil, for example, which was available at Rp 1,800 per kilogram, now costs about Rp 6,000.

It has been recommended that people reduce their consumption of cooking oil by steaming or baking food. But it is hard for people to adopt the new habit, especially if one is used to eating foods such as fried soybean cake and salty fish.

As for many villagers in Sunyalangu, Rawalo and Sumbang, in Banyumas regency, the current economic conditions have inspired them go back to basics, by making their own traditional cooking oil.

Producing traditional cooking oil is not an easy task. It takes at least four days to make and the process is painstaking and risky, as your fingers can get cut by the coconut-scrapers. But these residents are willing to take the risk to save money.

The process of making traditional cooking oil reminds residents of life 15 years ago, before they could buy branded cooking oil in the market. Banyumas residents call this process miwir.

Saminah, a 38-year-old villager, said that she decided to try making the cooking oil traditionally to save money. But she added that she had to consider it carefully because the coconuts have also become quite expensive.

One coconut costs about Rp 500 and she needs 10 coconuts to produce a kilogram of cooking oil.

The production of cooking oil starts with peeling the coconut. The meat is then soaked in the water for two days. Then the coconuts are grated and later dried in the sun.

The drying process generally takes six hours under full sunlight, until the coconut turns a reddish brown color.

"We know it is ready if the coconut produces some oil when we squeeze it a bit," Saminah said.

The reddish brown coconut pulp is then ready to be processed into cooking oil. To receive maximum results, people have to wait for some time before starting the work. The dried pulp is placed in buckets or containers and after about two hours becomes softer. "After that, all you have to do is wring it with your hands and there, you have the oil," said Khasanah, a 40-year-old woman who is also a traditional cooking oil maker.

"Squeezing it with your hands is the easiest way, but if you're not used to the odor... you'll probably be sick," she said.

After squeezing the pulp with the hands, people use a device called pantongan made from the wood of coconut trees to press and drain the oil out of the pulp. During this process, most of the work is done by men, as they usually have more strength than the women. They put the coconut pulp in a sack and press it with the device until the oil drains out.

The coconut pulp waste, known as bungkil is still useful. During the colonial era, locals used eat it as a snack, but after Indonesia gained independence and things improved, they fed it bungkil to the cattle or the fish. But now, once again, many of the people fry and eat it.

"What else are we supposed to do? Even salty fish is expensive these days," said Sukinah.

People also used to make a kind of soybean cake called tempe bongkrek from bungkil, but a few years ago, it was banned by the provincial administration following a number of cases of poisoning.