Food preparation methods and regional identification in Indonesia

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Title Food preparation methods and regional identification in Indonesia
Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Humanities
Department Asia Center
Author Hines, Windyn R.
Date 2013-12
Description Indonesia's recent history shows the unambiguous intention of the state to unite different regions through the building of a national identity, first against the Dutch colonizers, and then against regional separatist movements. The Indonesian government's study of the food cultural practices of different regions of Indonesia was directly in line with these intentions and with the goals of the Pancasila, the philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state, which lists nationalism or national unity as one of the five principles. The purpose of the Indonesian government's Proyek Inventarisasi dan Pembinaan Nilai-Nilai Budaya (IPNB), or Inventory and Development of Cultural Values Project, was to serve as a tool for all Indonesians to become familiar with the great diversity that exists within its borders and to affirm the legitimacy of the state throughout the country. This paper looked more closely at the details of methods of preparation collected in the IPNB series, and in Indonesian cookbooks, to analyze recipes that fall into the category of national cuisine. I chose three regions to examine-Nusa Tenggara, West Sumatra, and Java-and three national recipes to compare across these regions. This research paper carried out an explicit regional comparison to determine if regional specificity was discernable in methods of preparation. The examination of preparation methods of the three national recipes-satay (sate, satai), grilled/roasted fish (ikan panggang/bakar), and bundled filling (pepes, palai)-showed that methods of preparation were not clearly able to identify a region for a given recipe, which shows that the Indonesian government's goal of strengthening national unity through the building of a national identity made up of constructed traditions, like national cuisine, is problematic.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Cookbooks; Food preparation; Indonesia; Masakan nasional; National cuisine
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Master of Arts
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Windyn R. Hines 2013
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 1,117,082 bytes
Identifier etd3/id/2651
ARK ark:/87278/s68089s2
Setname ir_etd
ID 196226
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s68089s2
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