What do Indonesian Chinese eat during Chinese New Year? Learn about Indonesian multiculturalism from the Lunar New Year

"Does Indonesia also celebrate Chinese New Year?" is one of the questions that people ask Claire most often. In fact, after the end of the "New Order" period, the Indonesian government officially abolished all anti-Chinese policies in 2001, allowing Chinese Indonesians to openly celebrate the Lunar New Year, and even designated the Lunar New Year as a national holiday, giving Indonesian New Year a different look. Different and diverse faces.

Indonesia has many islands and a vast territory. Of course, different regions and families have different customs. Today Claire will break down the following seven common must-have foods for Indonesian New Year.

1 | Lapis Legit

Indonesia was once a Dutch colony, and the mille-feuille cake was actually a pastry reserved for Dutch aristocrats. When it comes to Indonesian national snacks, it has to be the Thousand-Flower Cake. Making an Indonesian Thousand Crepe Cake is not an easy task. You have to bake the layers carefully and repeat the steps more than ten times until it comes out of the oven. Only then can you achieve the layer-by-layer effect of the Thousand Crepe Cake. Not only during the Chinese New Year, it turns out that it can also be seen during Eid al-Fitr, Christmas or various festivals. Like rice cakes, mille-feuille cakes symbolize prosperity and good fortune. After eating them, you will gain good luck and a thousandfold wealth.

In addition to the exquisite mille-feuille cakes, mothers also make a variety of New Year cakes to share with relatives and friends, which is particularly thoughtful. Every household will hold a competition to see whose pastries are the best.

2 | Pyramid Banana Leaf Rice Cake (Kue Keranjang)

Indonesian banana leaf rice cakes are different from traditional Hong Kong-style rice cakes. The banana leaves can maintain the soft and glutinous texture of the rice cakes, and can also bring out a hint of rich and smooth coconut aroma. Indonesian Chinese like to incorporate local abundant raw materials into rice cakes, so Indonesian rice cakes not only have original flavor, but also pandan, durian, strawberry, etc. Indonesian rice cakes are full of southern tropical flavors, making the taste richer.

When serving this rice cake, it turns out that Indonesian stores will arrange it in an upward pyramid shape, which means that blessings during the Lunar New Year can be conveyed to heaven. In addition, the rice cakes placed high also symbolize upward mobility and a happy life forever.

3 | One bite of pineapple cake (Nastar)

The best gift box for the Indonesian New Year cannot be missing from the pineapple cake. Why? The Chinese in Indonesia are mainly of Hokkien origin, and in the Hokkien language, pineapple is homophoned as "Wanglai", and is commonly called "pineapple" in Southeast Asia. After eating pineapple cake, you will definitely have good luck. Indonesian pineapple cakes are mostly presented in round, leaf-shaped or flower-shaped styles, and their production methods and materials are slightly different from Taiwanese pineapple cakes.

In order to add to the festive atmosphere, many shops and shopping malls are decorated with pineapple lanterns during the Chinese New Year, hoping for prosperity in the new year!

4 | Permen Paket Imlek

The number "8" is often considered an auspicious number, so all Indonesian New Year boxes are presented in an octagonal shape. What’s special is that the full boxes of star anise sold in Indonesian supermarkets actually contain colorful honey stacks! Although the whole box made of plastic looks a bit cheap, it can be said that it is a must-buy gift box for the Chinese New Year in Indonesia and is very popular among everyone.

Eat the sour and sweet cold fruits to experience the different Southeast Asian New Year flavors. The hot, humid and rainy weather in Indonesia often makes people lose their appetite, so Indonesians love sweet and sour food.

5 | Yu Sheng

The dish of yew sang is commonly found in Singapore and Malaysia. Indonesian Chinese will also enjoy it with their families during the Chinese New Year. Before eating, you need to lift the yew raw with chopsticks. The higher the fish is, the better the sign. Remember Say auspicious words while fishing.

Each ingredient of Ye Sang has a unique meaning: for example, Ye Sang symbolizes good harvests throughout the year, carrots represent blessings of good fortune, and peanuts symbolize life endowed with wealth.

6 | Mie Panjang

Longevity noodles symbolize longevity and wealth. The noodles are longer than ordinary noodles. Long and continuous noodles indicate that wealth will not be hindered . Remember not to bite off the noodles when eating. Those who eat longevity noodles during festivals and festivals will surely be rich in wealth in the coming year.

7 |Telur Teh

The tea eggs are marinated with the full aroma of tea, and the aroma is fragrant. Unexpectedly, it turns out that tea eggs also have a special meaning in Indonesia, which is a symbol of fertility. After eating tea eggs, people pray for more children and grandchildren for the family, bringing prosperity to the new year.

Are you already salivating after seeing these food pictures? In the next article, Claire will introduce to you the New Year customs in Indonesia, and also analyze the celebrations of the Indonesian Lantern Festival (Cap Go Meh).

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