"Is there a Chinese New Year in Indonesia?" is one of the most frequently asked questions to Claire. In fact, after the end of the "New Order" period, the Indonesian government officially abolished all anti-Chinese policies in 2001, allowing Indonesian Chinese to celebrate the Lunar New Year openly, and even designated the Lunar New Year as a national holiday, giving Indonesian New Year a new look Different facets.

Indonesia has many islands and a vast territory. Of course, different regions and families have different customs. Today, Claire will disassemble the following seven must-have foods that are common in Indonesia during Chinese New Year.

1 | Mille-feuille (Lapis Legit)

Indonesia used to be a Dutch colony, and mille-feuille was actually a pastry exclusively used by Dutch nobles. When it comes to Indonesian national snacks, there is absolutely no mille-feuille. It is not easy to make an Indonesian mille-feuille cake. It takes careful baking layer by layer, repeating the steps more than ten times until it is out of the oven, in order to bake the layer-by-layer cake effect. Not only the Chinese New Year, it turns out that it can also be seen during Hari Raya, Christmas or various festivals. Like rice cakes, thousand-layer cakes symbolize prosperity and the beauty of rising every step of the way. After eating, you will get good luck and a thousand times wealth.

In addition to the exquisite mille-feuille cakes, the mothers also made all kinds of New Year cakes by themselves to share with relatives and friends. Every family will even conduct a big competition to see who makes the best pastries.

2 | Pyramid Banana Leaf Rice Cake (Kue Keranjang)

Indonesian banana leaf rice cake is different from traditional Hong Kong-style rice cakes. The banana leaves can keep the rice cake soft and glutinous, and can bring out a touch of thick and smooth coconut fragrance. Indonesian Chinese like to combine local ingredients into rice cakes, so Indonesian rice cakes not only have the original flavor, but also pandan, durian, strawberry and so on. The Indonesian rice cake is full of Nanyang tropical flavor, which makes the taste richer.

When serving this rice cake, it turns out that Indonesian shops will arrange it in a pyramid-shaped upward arrangement, which means that the blessings during the Chinese New Year can be conveyed to heaven. In addition, the rice cakes placed high up also imply upward mobility, since you will always enjoy a happy and fulfilling life.

3 | Pineapple Cake (Nastar)

The best gift box for Chinese New Year in Indonesia must not lack pineapple cake, why? Among the Indonesian Chinese, the majority are of Hokkien descent. In Hokkien, pineapple is a homonym for "Wanglai", and it is commonly called "Pink Pear" in Southeast Asia. If you have eaten pineapple cake, you must 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 Taiwan's 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 a prosperous new year!

4 | Permen Paket Imlek (Permen Paket Imlek)

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

Eating sweet and sour preserved fruit, to experience the different taste of Southeast Asian New Year. The hot, humid and rainy weather in Indonesia often makes people lose their appetite, so Indonesians love sweet and sour food.

5 | Yu Sheng (Yu Sheng)

This dish is commonly found in Singapore and Malaysia. Indonesian Chinese also enjoy it with their families during Chinese New Year. Before eating, you need to pick up the chopsticks with special chopsticks. The higher the fish, the better the omen. Remember Say auspicious words while fishing. Each ingredient in Lo Sang has a unique meaning: for example, yu sheng symbolizes a good harvest throughout the year, carrots represent auspicious blessings, and peanuts symbolize life endowed with wealth.

6 | Mie Panjang

Changshou noodles symbolize longevity and wealth. The noodles of Changshou noodles are longer than ordinary noodles. The long and continuous noodles indicate that wealth will not be hindered . Remember not to bite off the noodles when eating. People who eat longevity noodles during festivals will surely have a lot of money in the coming year.

7 | Tea Eggs (Telur Teh)

The tea eggs are marinated with full of tea fragrance, and the aroma is tangy. Unexpectedly, tea eggs also have a different meaning in Indonesia, which symbolizes the ability to reproduce. After eating tea eggs, I pray that the family will have many children and grandchildren, and bring prosperity to the new year.

Are you salivating after seeing these food pictures? In the next article, Claire will introduce Indonesian Chinese New Year customs and dissect the Indonesian Lantern Festival (Cap Go Meh) celebrations.

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