Lemang

Last updated
Lemang
Lemang cooking.jpg
Lemang being cooked in hollow bamboo pieces
Alternative namesLamang
TypeRice dish
Place of origin Indonesia [1] [2] [3]
Region or state West Sumatra
Associated cuisine Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, [4] [5] Brunei [6]
Main ingredients Glutinous rice, coconut milk
Similar dishes Sticky rice in bamboo, Daetong-bap

Lemang (Minangkabau: lamang) is a Minangkabau [7] traditional food made from glutinous rice, coconut milk, and salt, cooked in a hollowed bamboo tube coated with banana leaves in order to prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo. Originating in Indonesia, it is also found in Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei, as similar dishes made from sticky rice in bamboo are common throughout Mainland Southeast Asia.

Contents

Lemang is traditionally eaten to mark the end of daily fasting during the annual Muslim holidays of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha (Lebaran). [8]

History

Sticky rice in bamboo is known as a ubiquitous traditional food in many traditional Southeast Asian communities. In Minangkabau culture, lemang, or lamang is a traditional food which consists of glutinous rice or tapai that is used in various traditional ceremonies, mainly in West Sumatra, Indonesia. According to Minangkabau tradition, the cooking technique of lemang was first introduced by Sheikh Burhanuddin. However, lemang are also known as traditional foods of other tribes in the Southeast Asian region, and their cooking method is still very ancient and depends on natural materials and ingredients, including bamboo tubes. [2] [9]

In early Indonesian literature, lemang was mentioned in Marah Rusli's 1922 novel Siti Nurbaya , in which Nurbaya unwittingly eating a poisonous lemang due to Meringgih's evil scheme. [10]

Cooking method

Cooking the lemang bamboo tubes. Bakar lemang.jpg
Cooking the lemang bamboo tubes.

The bamboo contains glutinous rice, salt and coconut milk that is placed onto a slanted position besides a small fire with the opening facing upwards. It should be turned regularly in order to ensure the rice inside the bamboo is cooked evenly. The cooking process takes about 4–5 hours. Lemang is often served with rendang or serundeng.

Distribution and traditions

In Indonesia, lemang is associated with Minangkabau tradition of West Sumatra. [2] [11] Nevertheless, rice cooking method using bamboo tubes is widespread in the region, including Brunei, [12] Minahasa, Dayak and Orang Asli tribes.[ citation needed ] The Minahasan version of this dish is known as Nasi Jaha, which is cooked in the same method. [13]

In Minangkabau tradition, lemang making is called Malamang. Lemang is incomplete if it is not eaten together with tapai, so they are likened to a man and a woman by Minang people. Lemang itself describes the togetherness of Minang people because its making process is always done together. There are several taboos that must be obeyed in making lemang and tapai. Lemang are also used as gifts when visiting other people’s homes, for example, when visiting in-laws or manjapuik marapulai ceremony. [2] However, there is no symbolic meaning behind the obligatory existence of lemang at traditional ceremonies. On the other hand, lemang and tapai are famous for their unique taste produced by the chemical components in their ingredients. In this article, the origin of lemang and tapai, the philosophy and presentation of lemang in the traditions of the Minangkabau people, and the flavor features of lemang and tapai from a scientific perspective are discussed. [2]

Iban people usually prepare lemang for celebrations such as the harvest festival of Hari Gawai, lemang is usually eaten with meat dishes such as chicken curry. The cooking process used in making lemang for many different meats, also known as pansoh or pansuh by indigenous Dayak communities. [14]

In Kerinci Regency, Jambi, lemang is cooked inside nepenthes and the dish is called lemang kantong semar. [15]

Similar Dishes

In the Philippines, particularly in Pangasinan, there is a similar dish called binungey. The process is similar to lemang, but the bamboo tubes are shorter, and there is no banana leaf lining.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minangkabau people</span> Ethnic group in Indonesia

Minangkabau people, also known as Minang, are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Minangkabau's West Sumatera homelands was the seat of the Pagaruyung Kingdom, believed by early historians to have been the cradle of the Malay race, and the location of the Padri War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glutinous rice</span> Type of rice

Glutinous rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose content, and is especially sticky when cooked. It is widely consumed across Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indonesian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Indonesia

Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed in the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 populated islands of the total 17,508 in the world's largest archipelago, with more than 1,300 ethnic groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malay cuisine</span> Cuisine of Malay people

Malay cuisine is the traditional food of the ethnic Malays of Southeast Asia, residing in modern-day Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the Philippines as well as Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rendang</span> Spicy Minangkabau meat dish

Rendang is a Minangkabau dish. It is a rich meat-based dish that is slow-cooked, braised in coconut milk, and seasoned with herb and spice mixture over a period of several hours. As the liquids evaporate, the meat turns dark brown and tender, caramelizing and infusing it with rich flavours.

<i>Kuih</i> Southeast Asian snack or dessert foods

Kuih are bite-sized snack or dessert foods commonly found in Southeast Asia and China. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called cakes, cookies, dumplings, pudding, biscuits, or pastries in English and are usually made from rice or glutinous rice. In China, where the term originates from, kueh or koé (粿) in the Min Nan languages refers to snacks which are typically made from rice but can occasionally be made from other grains such as wheat. The term kuih is widely used in Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, kueh is used in Singapore and Indonesia, kue is used in Indonesia only, all three refer to sweet or savoury desserts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saluang</span>

The saluang is a traditional musical instrument of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is similar to the ney in general, in that it is an oblique flute, but made of bamboo. It is related to the suling of other parts of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice cake</span> Food item made from rice

A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include cakes made with rice flour, those made from ground rice, and those made from whole grains of rice compressed together or combined with some other binding substance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kue</span> Indonesian bite-sized snack or dessert

Kue is an Indonesian bite-sized snack or dessert food. Kue is a fairly broad term in Indonesian to describe a wide variety of snacks including cakes, cookies, fritters, pies, scones, and patisserie. Kue are made from a variety of ingredients in various forms; some are steamed, fried or baked. They are popular snacks in Indonesia, which has the largest variety of kue. Because of the countries' historical colonial ties, Koeé (kue) is also popular in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut rice</span> Coconut-flavoured rice

Coconut rice is a dish prepared by cooking white rice in coconut milk or coconut flakes. As both the coconut and the rice-plant are commonly found in the tropics all around the world, coconut rice, too, is found in many cultures throughout the world, spanning across the equator from Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, South America, Central America, West Africa, East Africa, the Caribbean and Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padang cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Minangkabau people of Indonesia

Padang dish or Minangkabau dish is the cuisine of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is among the most popular cuisines in Maritime Southeast Asia. It is known across Indonesia as Masakan Padang after Padang, the capital city of Western Sumatra province. It is served in restaurants mostly owned by perantauan (migrating) Minangkabau people in Indonesian cities. Padang food is ubiquitous in Indonesian cities and is popular in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overseas Minangkabau</span> People of Minangkabau ethnicity who has settled elsewhere

The Overseas Minangkabau is a demographic group of Minangkabau people of Minangkabau Highlands origin in Central Sumatra, Indonesia who have settled in other parts of the world. Over half of the Minangkabau people can be considered overseas Minangkabaus. They make up the majority of the population of Negeri Sembilan and Pekanbaru. They also form a significant minority in the populations of Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Batam, Surabaya and Palembang in Indonesia as well as Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Penang, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam in the rest of the Malay world. Minangkabaus have also emigrated as skilled professionals and merchants to the Netherlands, United States, Saudi Arabia and Australia. The matrilineal culture and economic conditions in West Sumatra have made the Minangkabau people one of the most mobile ethnic group in Maritime Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klepon</span> Indonesian traditional rice cake

Klepon or kelepon also known outside Java as onde-onde and Buah Melaka, is a snack of sweet rice cake balls filled with molten palm sugar and coated in grated coconut. Of Javanese origin, the green-coloured glutinous rice balls are one of the popular traditional kue in Indonesian cuisine.

A khantoke or khantok is a pedestal tray used as a small dining table by the Lanna people, Laotians, and by people from Isan. A khantoke tray is a short, round table, made of several different materials such as: wood, bamboo or rattan. It has a diameter of about 35 centimetres (14 in) but can vary in size and use case. It is comparable to the daunglan traditionally used in Burmese cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sticky rice in bamboo</span> Southeast Asian rice dish

Sticky rice in bamboo is a common Southeast Asian dish consisting of sticky rice roasted inside specially prepared bamboo sections of different diameters and lengths. It is consumed both as a savory food and as a sweet dessert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wajik</span> Southeast Asian glutinous sweet

Wajik or wajid, also known as pulut manis, is a traditional glutinous sweet made with rice, sugar and coconut milk. It is an Indonesian kue, and a kuih of Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ketupat</span> Indonesian dish that is made of rice in the shape of a diamond

Ketupat, or kupat, or tipat is a Javanese rice cake packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf pouch. Originating in Indonesia, it is also found in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and southern Thailand. It is commonly described as "packed rice", although there are other types of similar packed rice such as lontong and bakchang.

<i>Dodol</i> Indonesian sweet toffee

Dodol is a sweet toffee-like sugar palm-based confection commonly found in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Originating from the culinary traditions of Indonesia, it is also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Southern India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Burma, where it is called mont kalama. It is made from coconut milk, jaggery, and rice flour, and is sticky, thick, and sweet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinorangsak</span> Indonesian hot and spicy meat dish

Tinorangsak or tinoransak is an Indonesian hot and spicy meat dish that uses specific bumbu found in Manado cuisine of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The most common meat used in tinorangsak is pork. However, other kind of meat such as beef, chicken or seafood might be used as well. Spices mixture includes chili pepper, shallot or onion, ginger, lime leaves, lemongrass, lime juice, cooking oil, and salt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minangkabau music</span>

Music of Minang is a traditional and living genre of Indonesian music that grows and develops in the Minangkabau culture area. Music whose origins are related to Malay Music is generally played by musical instruments such as Talempong, Saluang, Minang rebab, Serunai, Tmbourine, Aguang, Gandang, and Violin. Minang music is also played to accompany various dances such as the Pasambahan dance and the Piring dance.

References

  1. "Lemang", Taste Atlas
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Eda Erwina (2014-05-08). "Lemang, Cerita Tradisi Malamang Dari Sumatera Barat". Merdeka.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  3. Azzahra, Dhiya Awlia (2020-05-20). "5 Fakta Unik Lemang, Makanan Khas Sumatra Saat Puasa dan Lebaran". idntimes.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  4. Vol. 3, pt. 2 comprises a monograph entitled: British Malaya, 1864-1867, by L.A. Mills, with appendix by C. O. Blagden, 1925.
  5. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Issues 1-6, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Malaysian Branch. 1878 - History
  6. Bahrum Ali; Bandar Seri Begwan (September 8, 2009), "'Lemang' stalls are found everywhere", The Brunei Times, archived from the original on December 10, 2015
  7. "Lamang dan Tradisi Malamang pada Masyarakat Minangkabau". Kemdikbud.
  8. Cecil Lee (September 22, 2009), "Travel Snapshot – Celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri With Lemang", Travel Feeder
  9. Yovani, Tania (December 2019). "Lamang tapai: the ancient Malay food in Minangkabau tradition". Journal of Ethnic Foods. 6 (1): 22. doi: 10.1186/s42779-019-0029-z . S2CID   209325826.
  10. Kaya, Indonesia. "Warisan Sastra Indonesia Dalam Lantunan Lagu Dan Tarian Di Drama Musikal 'Siti Nurbaya (Kasih Tak Sampai)' | Liputan Budaya - Situs Budaya Indonesia". IndonesiaKaya (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  11. "Lemang". Tribunnewswiki.com (in Indonesian). 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  12. Bahrum Ali; Bandar Seri Begwan (September 8, 2009), "'Lemang' stalls are found everywhere", The Brunei Times, archived from the original on December 10, 2015
  13. "Jika Sumbar Punya Lamang, Minahasa Punya Nasi Jaha". Republika Online (in Indonesian). 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  14. "'Ayam pansuh' — A Sarawak exotic delicacy loved by many", Malay Mail Online, June 28, 2015, retrieved July 14, 2016
  15. Rohman, Taufiqur (8 May 2019). "Lemang Kantong Semar, Uniknya Kelezatan Kuliner Khas Kerinci". phinemo.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 27 May 2023.