Lemang (

Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see bel ...

: ''lamang'') is a

traditional food made from

glutinous rice Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals. Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...

coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

, and salt, cooked in a hollowed

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

tube coated with

banana leaves The banana leaf is the leaf of the banana plant, which may produce up to 40 leaves in a growing cycle. The leaves have a wide range of applications because they are large, flexible, waterproof and decorative. They are used for cooking, wrappin ...

in order to prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo. Originating in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, it is also found in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, and

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, as similar dishes made from

sticky rice in bamboo Sticky may refer to: Adhesion * Adhesion, the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another * Sticky mat, an adhesive mat used in cleanrooms to lessen contamination from footwear *Sticky note, a generic term for a Post-it N ...

are common throughout

Mainland Southeast Asia Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

. Lemang is traditionally eaten to mark the end of daily

fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...

during the annual

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

holidays of

Eid-ul-Fitr Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the ...

and

Eid-ul-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second of the two main Islamic holidays, festivals in Islam alongside Eid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carri ...

(

Lebaran is the Indonesian popular name for two Islamic official holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in Indonesia, and is one of the major national holidays in the country. holiday officially lasts for two days in the Indonesian calendar, although th ...

Etymology

''Lemang'' is derived from

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) is the reconstructed ancestor of the Malayo-Polynesian languages, which is by far the largest branch (by current speakers) of the Austronesian language family. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian is ancestral to all Austronesia ...

''ləməŋ'' ("cook in a tube of green bamboo"). This term was inherited into

Proto-Malayic Proto-Malayic is a reconstructed proto-language of the Malayic languages, which are nowadays widespread throughout Maritime Southeast Asia. Like most other proto-languages, Proto-Malayic was not attested in any prior written work. The most extens ...

and then into

Classical Malay Malay was first used in the first millennia known as Old Malay, a part of the Austronesian language family. Over a period of two millennia, Malay has undergone various stages of development that derived from different layers of foreign influen ...

as ''لمڠ (lĕmang)'', eventually becoming the modern Malay lemang. Derived cognates refer to a traditional dish made by cooking glutinous rice mixed with coconut milk inside a hollow bamboo tube lined with banana leaves to prevent sticking. Cognates in modern

Austronesian languages The Austronesian languages ( ) are a language family widely spoken throughout Maritime Southeast Asia, parts of Mainland Southeast Asia, Madagascar, the islands of the Pacific Ocean and Taiwan (by Taiwanese indigenous peoples). They are spoken ...

include ''lamang'' (

), which refers to the same type of food.

History

Sticky rice in bamboo Sticky may refer to: Adhesion * Adhesion, the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another * Sticky mat, an adhesive mat used in cleanrooms to lessen contamination from footwear *Sticky note, a generic term for a Post-it N ...

is known as a ubiquitous traditional food in many traditional

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

n communities. In

culture, lemang, or ''lamang'' is a traditional food which consists of glutinous rice or

tapai ''Tapai'' (also ''tapay'' or ''tape'') is a traditional fermented preparation of rice or other starchy foods, and is found throughout much of Southeast Asia, especially in Austronesian cultures, and parts of East Asia. It refers to both th ...

that is used in various traditional ceremonies, mainly in

West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...

. 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. In early

Indonesian literature Indonesian literature is a term grouping various genres of South-East Asian literature. Indonesian literature can refer to literature produced in the List of islands of Indonesia, Indonesian archipelago. It is also used to refer more broadly ...

, lemang was mentioned in

Marah Rusli Marah Roesli (; full name: Marah Rusli bin Abu Bakar) was an Indonesian writer. Biography Marah Roesli was born in Padang, West Sumatra on 7 August 1889, and died in Bandung, West Java on 17 January 1968. He was one of the most well-known Indon ...

's 1922 novel '' Siti Nurbaya'', in which Nurbaya unwittingly eating a poisonous lemang due to Meringgih's evil scheme.

Cooking method

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 Rendang is a fried meat or dry curry made of meat stewed in coconut milk and spices, widely popular across Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, where each version is considered local cuisine. It refers to both a cooking m ...

serundeng Serundeng () refers to a Javanese spiced grated coconut side dish or condiment originated in Indonesia that is used to accompany rice. Serundeng may taste sweet or hot and spicy, according to the recipe variants. Its best-known variant is an ...

Distribution and traditions

In Indonesia, lemang is associated with

tradition of

. Nevertheless, rice cooking method using bamboo tubes is widespread in the region, including

Minahasa The Minahasans or Minahassa are an Austronesian people, Austronesian ethnic group native to North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes. The Minahasa people sometimes refer to themselves as Manado people. Although the M ...

, Dayak and

Orang Asli The Orang Asli are a Homogeneity and heterogeneity, heterogeneous Indigenous peoples, indigenous population forming a national minority in Malaysia. They are the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia. As of 2017, the Orang Asli accounted f ...

tribes. The

n version of this dish is known as Nasi Jaha, which is cooked in the same method. In Minangkabau tradition, lemang making is called ''Malamang''. Lemang is incomplete if it is not eaten together with

, 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. 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.

Iban people The Iban are an indigenous ethnic group native to Borneo, primarily found in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Brunei and parts of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. They are one of the largest groups among the broader Dayak peoples, a term historically ...

usually prepare lemang for celebrations such as the

harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual Festival, celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different ...

of Hari Gawai, lemang is usually eaten with meat dishes such as

chicken curry Chicken curry or curry/curried chicken is a South Asian dish originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is common in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Great Britain, and South Africa. A typical curry from the ...

. The cooking process used in making lemang for many different meats, also known as pansoh or pansuh by indigenous Dayak communities. In Kerinci Regency,

Jambi Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of i ...

, lemang is cooked inside

nepenthes ''Nepenthes'' ( ) is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are m ...

and the dish is called ''lemang kantong semar''.

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.

Gallery

File:Cara belah buluh lemang.jpg, Cutting the hollowed bamboo to retrieve the lemang inside File:Piece of Lemang.jpg, A piece of lemang File:YosriLemangHidang.jpg, Serving lemang slices

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Food, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore Glutinous rice dishes Padang cuisine Minangkabau diaspora cuisine Indonesian cuisine Indonesian snack foods Indonesian rice dishes Malaysian cuisine Islamic cuisine Banana leaf