Welcome to Sumatra, Indonesia's buffalo country
Welcome to Sumatra, Indonesia's buffalo country
By Carola Frentzen
MEDAN, Indonesia (DPA): The waiter dashes back and forth to the kitchen loaded with a fresh armload of plates, pots and bowls every time. There's buffalo meat bubbling away, chicken in curry sauce and from other meals fish heads peek out.
Not to mention the vegetables, tapioca and spinach, duck eggs and an impossibly hot pepperoni paste. It's all accompanied by pots full of steaming basmati rice. "Khairul," someone calls, "what's this dish called?" The guide smiles and informs guests they are about to tuck into "our national dish: Nasi Padang."
In Indonesia, nasi means quite simply rice, and Padang is the capital of West Sumatra province. Long ago, the local speciality became the epitome of fine cuisine across the whole of Sumatra. But Europeans who aren't used to spicy cooking should watch out - it's hot!
The two tourist guides Khairul and Agoes grin as they chomp on scorchingly spicy pepperoni sauce and rice. "It's a matter of habit," they say. Like so much of Sumatra itself though, it is not always love at first sight.
Distances on the world's fourth-largest island are huge. The roads here are bad and travel is arduous. Covering almost 475,000 square kilometers, Sumatra is about the size of Spain.
Most of the territory is almost devoid of people and overgrown with tropical vegetation. The rainy season here lasts an interminable 10 months of the year but even in the so-called dry periods in June and July it rains almost every day.
The island is green, very fertile - and in some parts unpassable. Orangutans still live in the rain forests, not to mention tigers, elephants, poisonous snakes, rhinoceroses and numerous other exotic animals.
One of the island's recurring motives is its buffaloes. They are everywhere, grazing at the side of the road or ploughing the paddy fields. They are also served up as the national dish.
Further west and into Minangkabau country it becomes evident just how much this animal is worshiped - almost mystically. This can be seen in the shape of the curious fashion for houses here. The rumah gadang are multi-family wooden longhouses on stilts with saddle- shaped roofs, the ends pointing majestically upward like buffalo horns.
One legend told by the Minangkabau says that many years ago, a Malay prince tried to conquer the province of Sumatra Barat (West Sumatra) but was thwarted by the villagers' stiff resistance. To break the deadlock, the prince suggested a buffalo fight should decide who would rule the province. The Minangkabau thought long and hard about what they should do before deciding that a young buffalo should fight for their side, one which they fitted with huge horns of iron.
The ruse worked and the prince's gigantic buffalo soon fell to the ground dead, its belly slashed open. The villagers retained their independence and from then on called themselves menang karbau - triumphant buffaloes.
Khairul and Agoes are Minangkabau but today they live in the capital of the North Sumatra, Medan. "We are a proud people and famous for our openness and hospitality," they say. The "people of the triumphant buffaloes" are also exceptional because of their matriarchal family structure, unique in Indonesia. The women have the say in Minangkabau society, they feed the family, bring up the children alone and make the most important decisions.
One of the most beautiful palaces known to Minangkabau culture is the Balai Janggo near Bukittinggi, the former royal residence. From the outside, its buffalo-horn roof makes it look like the typical "rumah gadang", except that this building is much larger, and sumptuously decorated.
"Durian, 1,000 rupiahs" calls an old women waiting for hungry tourists at her little fruit stall at the palace gates. It stinks here since durian is probably the worst-smelling fruit in the world. Gourmets call it the Limburger cheese of the fruit world although underneath the hard rind it tastes magnificent.
The official website for tourism can supply more information about Sumatra under www.indonesia-tourism.com/west- sumatra/history.html. Private trips can also be booked through one of the guides mentioned in the text and Khairul Sikumbang can be contacted at his e-mail address: ksikumbang@yahoo.com.