The origin of empal gentong

SEA Today News

Kalo ngomongin Cirebon, pasti kamu mikirin soal Empal Gentong, kan?  Yuk, cari tau lebih lanjut soal makanan berkuah khas Cirebon yang endeus banget ini! ___________________________________________  When talking about Cirebon, you will probably think about Empal Gentong, right?   Let's dig deeper into the story of this delicious, hearty meal and why it has become Cirebon's signature dish.  #SEALifestyle #Cirebon #Indonesia #Kuliner #Empal Gentong #Budaya #Tionghoa #Arab #Jawa

Transcript

00:00 [music]

00:02 If you hear the city of Cirebon,

00:04 your top of mind is definitely Empal Gentong.

00:06 It's not wrong, because this Cirebon-specific food

00:08 has existed since the 15th century.

00:10 Let's talk about

00:12 the origin of Empal Gentong.

00:14 [music]

00:16 It's not an exaggeration

00:18 if we say Empal Gentong reflects

00:20 the true identity of Cirebon as a coastal city

00:22 rich in cultural mixture.

00:24 The soup is like a spice,

00:26 through the similar taste of this sugar,

00:28 which is a common combination of Arab and Indian food.

00:30 Not only that,

00:32 the concept of a mixed rice or lontong soup

00:34 is also unique in Java.

00:36 Meanwhile, the topping also acculturates

00:38 the culture of Tionghoa.

00:40 Because in the old days,

00:42 the people of Indonesia

00:44 didn't use a lot of ginger.

00:46 If we look at the ingredients,

00:48 Empal Gentong is mostly

00:50 made from ginger.

00:52 This ginger is introduced by

00:54 the people of Tionghoa.

00:56 Cirebon was once a transit

00:58 of one of the famous

01:00 fishing villages,

01:02 Laksamana Cengho.

01:04 But did you know, citizens?

01:06 At the beginning of its emergence,

01:08 Empal Gentong became an Islamic media

01:10 in Cirebon by Mount Jati Sunan.

01:12 At that time,

01:14 they didn't use cows like now,

01:16 but rather used buffalo.

01:18 So they didn't use cows

01:20 because cows at that time

01:22 would be in conflict with Hinduism

01:24 because they were very worshiped

01:26 at that time.

01:28 As time went by,

01:30 when the Dutch came

01:32 to trade or

01:34 colonize the archipelago,

01:36 cows were like food

01:38 that had a high

01:40 value and prestige.

01:42 Eventually, it shifted

01:44 from those who

01:46 initially used buffalo

01:48 and buffalo ginger

01:50 shifted to cows.

01:52 The name Empal Gentong itself

01:54 was taken from the traditional

01:56 way of cooking Empal Gentong,

01:58 which means it was cooked in a pan

02:00 without seeing or gentong,

02:02 then cooked on top of charcoal.

02:04 You should know, citizens,

02:06 at the same time, Cirebon was

02:08 known as the center of

02:10 the craftsmanship of the Dutch.

02:12 Although not all Empal Gentong

02:14 of the time were cooked with

02:16 gentong without seeing,

02:18 the cooking process still had to be

02:20 done in a traditional way.

02:22 The Dutch were

02:24 known as the first

02:26 to cook Empal Gentong

02:28 in the world.

02:30 The Dutch were

02:32 known as the first

02:34 to cook Empal Gentong

02:36 in the world.

02:38 The Dutch were

02:40 known as the first

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Transcript

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