The origin of rendang could be traced back to the Indian merchants links to West Sumatra before the 15th century. There are Dutch archives about Minangkabau that state regular contacts between India and West Sumatra in the early second millennium, thus suggests that north Indian curry was possibly the precursor of rendang. Indian curry was adopted by the Minangkabau people as
gulai, a local version of curry. Minangkabau people then cooked this
gulai further in order to prepare
kalio also known as wet rendang. This cooking process was then continued until it thickened and became rendang or also known as dry rendang.[12]
Andalas University historian, Prof. Gusti Asnan suggests that rendang began to spread across the region when Minangkabau merchants began to trade and migrate to
Malacca in the 16th century, "Because the journey through the river waterways in Sumatra took much time, a durable preserved dry rendang is suitable for a long journey."[13] The dried Padang rendang is a durable food, good to consume for weeks, even when left at room temperature.[14] One of the earliest written records of rendang is from the Malaccan Malay manuscript of
Hikayat Amir Hamzah,[15]
Rendang originated in the Sumatran Minangkabau region and the making of rendang spreads from Minangkabau highlands to
Mandailing,
Riau,
Jambi, across the strait to
Malacca and
Negeri Sembilan, resulting in a variety of rendang traditions.[16]
During the
Indonesian National Revolution in 1946, the Indonesian First Lady
Fatmawati, the wife of
Sukarno, cooked and sent rendang to boost the morale of Indonesian republic freedom fighters around Yogyakarta. Declined by household helps, she insisted on buying beef and went to the market herself by becak, despite being pregnant at the time.[17]
The popularity of rendang has spread widely from its original domain because of the marantau (migrating) culture of Minangkabau people. In the modern era,
Overseas Minangkabau leave their hometown to start a career in other Indonesian cities as well as neighboring countries, and
Padang restaurants, Minangkabau eating establishments that are ubiquitous in Indonesian cities, spring up. These Padang restaurants have introduced and popularized Minangkabau style rendang and other
Padang food dishes across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the wider world.
Cultural significance
Rendang is revered in Minangkabau culture as an embodiment of the philosophy of musyawarah, discussion and consultation with elders.[18] It has been claimed that the four main ingredients represent Minangkabau society as a whole:[19][20]
The meat (daging) symbolises the Niniak Mamak, the traditional clan leaders such as the datuk, the nobles, royalty, and revered elders.
The coconut milk (karambia) symbolises the Cadiak Pandai, intellectuals, teachers, poets, and writers.
The chilli (lado) symbolises the Alim Ulama, clerics, ulama and religious leaders. The hotness of the chilli symbolises
Sharia.
The spice mixture (pemasak) symbolises the rest of Minangkabau society.
In Minangkabau tradition, rendang is a requisite dish for special occasions in traditional Minang ceremonies, from birth ceremonies to circumcision, marriage, Qur'an recitals, and religious festivals such as
Eid al-Fitr and
Eid al-Adha.[21]
In 2011, rendang placed 11th place on a list of World's 50 best foods published by
CNN International.[22] An online reader's poll of 35,000 voters chose beef rendang as the top dish on CNN International's Readers' picks list.[10]
The
Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture have included six rendang preparations under its
National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia list, all of which are registered under West Sumatra: Randang (Minang spelling),[23] and gulai rendang,[24] were part of the inaugural list in 2010. They were joined by randang daging (meat rendang),[25]randang kantang (potato rendang),[26] and randang incek kacang,[27] in 2016. Rendang paku (fern rendang) of Dharmasraya, is the most recent addition as of 2018.[28]
Rendang is most often described as meat
slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices until it becomes tender.[30][6] If cooked properly, dry rendang can last for as long as four weeks.[14] Prior to
refrigeration technology, this style of cooking enabled preservation of the large amount of meat.[31] The cooking technique flourished because of its role in preserving meat in a tropical climate.[13] Its durability is one of the reasons that today, prepackaged rendang is sent as food aid relief for natural disaster survivors in Indonesia.[6] The
cut of beef suitable for rendang is lean meat of the rear leg of the cattle; i.e. topside or
round beef, which is considered perfect for slow cooking.[32]
Rendang is rich in spices. Along with the main
meat ingredient, rendang uses
coconut milk and a paste of mixed ground spices, including
ginger,
galangal,
turmeric leaves,
lemongrass, garlic,
shallots,
chillis and other spices. This spice mixture is called pemasak in Minangkabau. The spices, garlic, shallot, ginger and galangal used in rendang have
antimicrobial properties and serve as natural organic preservatives.[33] Although some
culinary experts describe rendang as a
curry,[30][7][14] the dish is usually not considered as such in Indonesia or Malaysia since it is richer and contains less liquid than is normal for
curries.[34]
Traditionally the term rendang does not refer to a certain type of dish. The verb merendang actually refers to a
method of slow cooking; continuously churning the ingredients in a pot or frying pan, on a small fire, until all of the liquids evaporate and the meat is well done.[35] Traditional Padang rendang takes hours to cook. Cooking rendang involves pounding and grinding ingredients as well as slow cooking, and so is time-consuming and requires patience.[36] The meat pieces are slowly cooked in
coconut milk and spices until almost all the liquid is gone, allowing the meat to become tender and absorb the condiments. The cooking process changes from boiling to frying, as the liquid evaporates and the coconut milk turns to coconut oil.[37] Cooking the meat until tender with almost all the liquid evaporated requires great care, keeping it from getting burnt. Because of its generous use of numerous spices, rendang is known for having a complex and unique taste.
Rendang is often served with
steamed rice, ketupat (a compressed rice cake) or lemang (glutinous rice cooked in bamboo tubes), accompanied with vegetable side dishes such as boiled
cassava leaf, cubadak[38] (young
jackfruitgulai),
cabbagegulai and lado (red or green chilli pepper
sambal).
In Minangkabau culinary tradition, there are three recognised stages in cooking meat in spicy coconut milk. The dish which results is categorised according to the liquid content of the cooked coconut milk, which ranges from the most wet and soupy to the most dry: Gulai — Kalio – Rendang.[39] The ingredients of gulai, kalio and rendang are almost identical with the exceptions that gulai usually has less red chilli pepper and more turmeric, while rendang has richer spices.
If pieces of meat are cooked in spicy coconut milk and the process stopped right when the meat is done and the coconut milk has reached its boiling point, the dish is called gulai. If the process continues until the coconut milk is partly evaporated and the meat has started to brown, the dish is called kalio. For traditional dry rendang, the process continues hours beyond this, until the liquid has all but completely evaporated and the color turns to a dark brown, almost black color. Thus not only liquid content but also color indicate which type of rendang is involved: gulai is light yellow, kalio is brown and rendang is very dark brown. Today, one mostly finds only two simpler categories of rendang: either dry or wet.[40]
According to Minangkabau tradition, their true rendang is the dry one. Although, unlike crispy dendengbalado spicy jerky, rendang's texture is not actually dry, since it is quite moist and rather oily. Rendang is diligently stirred, attended, and cooked for hours until the coconut milk has evaporated, turned into coconut oil, and the meat has absorbed the spices. It is still served for special ceremonial occasions or to honor guests. If cooked properly, dried rendang can last for three to four weeks stored at room temperature and is still good to consume.[14] It can even last months stored in a refrigerator, and up to six months if frozen.
Wet rendang, more accurately identified as kalio, is a type of rendang that is cooked for a shorter period of time and much of the coconut milk liquid has not evaporated. Kalio has quite abundant liquid sauce acquired from cooked coconut milk that partly has turned into spicy oil, which is quite flavourful if consumed with
steamed rice. Much of rendang served abroad is actually more akin to kalio or wet version of rendang. If stored at room temperature, kalio lasts less than a week.[8]Kalio usually has a light golden brown colour, paler than dry rendang.
Variations
Variations of Rendang
Randang daging or beef rendang
Chicken rendang
Randang hati or beef liver rendang
Randang limpo or beef spleen rendang
Randang talua kariang or dry egg rendang
Randang maco or
salted fish with diced cassava rendang
The
original Minangkabau rendang has two categories, rendang darek and rendang pesisir. Rendang darek (‘land rendang’) is an umbrella term for dishes from old regions in mountainous areas of the
Minangkabau Highlands such as
Batusangkar,
Agam,
Lima Puluh Kota,
Payakumbuh,
Padang Panjang and
Bukittinggi. It mainly consists of beef, offal, poultry products, jackfruit, and many other vegetables and animal products which are found in these places. Rendang pesisir (‘coastal rendang’) is from the coastal regions of Minangkabau such as
Pariaman,
Padang,
Painan and
Pasaman. Rendang pesisir mainly consists of seafood, although it is not unusual for them to incorporate beef or water buffalo meat in their rendang.
Rendang ati ampela: rendang made of chicken innards;
liver and
gizzard.[44]
Rendang babat:
tripe rendang, made of tripes of cattle.[45]
Rendang babi:
pork rendang, the adaptation of rendang by non-
Muslim population of
Indonesia.[46] Usually consumed in
Christian-majority Batak region of
North Sumatra and
Hindu-majority island of
Bali. In
Bali, the popularity of rendang has led to this adaptation, since some
Balinese Hindus do not consume beef.[47]
Rendang baluik (rendang belut):
eel rendang, speciality of
Solok. In the Solok dialect, it is also called ‘randang baluk’.
Rendang bilih (bilis):
bilis fish rendang, specialty of
Padang Panjang. In
Sumatra, ikan bilis refers distinctly to Mystacoleucus padangensis, a small freshwater fish endemic to
Sumatra. In other places, bilis might refer to sea
anchovy instead.[48]
Rendang cumi:
squid rendang, a seafood variant of rendang usually consumed in coastal area.[51]
Rendang daging: meat rendang. The most common rendang is made from beef, but may also be from
water buffalo, goat,
mutton or
lamb, speciality of
Padang.[42]
Rendang datuk (rendang kering): dried beef rendang, that instead of using fresh beef cuts, the pieces of meat are dried for four days prior of cooking. Specialty of
Muara Enim in
South Sumatra.[52]
Rendang daun kayu (samba buruk): rendang made of various edible leaves, usually leaves of ubi kayu, jirak, mali, rambai, daun arbai, mixed with ikan haruan (
snakehead fish), specialty of Payakumbuh.[53]
Rendang daun pepaya: young
papaya leaf rendang.[54]
Rendang dendeng:
Dendeng rendang, thinly sliced dried and fried beef cooked in rendang spice. Also can be made from readily available processed
beef jerky.[55]
Rendang gabus (rendang ikan haruan):
Snakehead fish rendang, popular in Payakumbuh.[56]
Rendang gadih, rendang tumbuk or rendang payakumbuh:
Minced beef rendang, tumbuk or pounded beef shaped into balls mixed with coconut, specialty of
Payakumbuh,
West Sumatra.[57][44]
Rendang hati: cow liver rendang, speciality of
Minangkabau.[43]
Rendang ikan asap (rendang ikan salai):
smoked fish rendang, usually made of smoked ikan pari or ray fish, specialty of
Minangkabau.[58][59]
Rendang jawa:
Javanese adoption of
Minang rendang, which is more soft and moist suited to
Javanese taste, usually rather sweet and less spicy compared to
Sumatran rendang.[44]
Rendang medan: rendang variant from
Medan in
North Sumatra, slightly different to
Minangkabau rendang. It is more fatty and wet akin to kalio and usually less hot and spicy.[66]
Rendang padang:
Padang rendang commonly sold in
Padang restaurants nationwide, dry rendang that uses lean fatless meat.[44]
Rendang pakis (rendang pucuk paku): vegetable rendang made from pakis or
fern leaf, specialty of
Pasaman.[42][50]
Rendang paru: cow's lung rendang, speciality of
Payakumbuh.
Rendang usus: intestine rendang, made of
offals; the intestines of either poultry or cattle. The cattle intestine rendang is quite similar with gulai tambusu, gulai iso or gulai usus.[80]
Today, rendang is quite widespread in
Indonesia, owned mainly by the proliferation of
Padang restaurants in the country, which led to popularity and adoption of rendang
into the kitchens of contemporary
Indonesian households of various ethnic backgrounds. This might led to development of variants with slightly altered tastes to accommodate regional preferences. Other ethnic groups in
Indonesia also have adopted a version of rendang into their daily diet. For example, in
Java, the rendang—aside from the
Padang variety sold in
Padang restaurants—tend to be wet, slightly sweeter and less spicy to accommodate
Javanese tastes.
Rendang has a long history in Malaysia with distinct versions unique to individual Malaysian states. The different versions of rendang use different ingredients for the spice mix, resulting in differing flavors to the meat.[81]
Rendang ayam goreng: fried chicken rendang.[82] The popularity of this rendang skyrocketed mainly due to the
rendangate controversy in 2018.[83][84]
Rendang daging or Rendang
Rembau: dark, woody coloured meat rendang. Traditionally made using
water buffalo meat. These days, beef is commonly used instead.
Rendang daging hitam:
Kicap manis-based black-coloured beef rendang, a specialty of
Sarawak.
Rendang itik:
duck rendang, a specialty of
Negeri Sembilan and
Sarawak. In Sarawak, the duck is roasted first so that the meat is soft and not sticky.[88] In Negeri Sembilan, the duck is preferred to be smoked first.
Rendang kunyit or rendang
Kuala Pilah or rendang kuning: yellow-hued rendang, uses fresh
turmeric,
lemongrass, and coconut milk but with no onion added at all.[95]
Rendang babi:
pork rendang. Non-halal rendang that is eaten only by the Chinese and Peranakan community in Malaysia.[98]
Rendang lengkuas or nasu likku:
galangal-based rendang, a specialty of
Bugis people in
Sabah. Two versions exist in Sabah, wet and dry; both are considered rendang in Malaysia.[99]
Rendang
serundeng: dry meat floss, derived from rendang. It has a long shelf-life and needs no refrigeration, a specialty of Kelantan.[105]
Rendang Minang: originated from the
Minangkabau people who settled in Negeri Sembilan during the 16th century, but has since evolved from the Sumatran rendang version of the recipe.[106]
Rendang cili api or Rendang Negeri Sembilan or Rendang hijau: greenish-hued rendang, uses
cili api instead of red chili that is normally used in other rendang versions, a specialty of
Negeri Sembilan.[107]
Rendang Tok: dry beef rendang created by the royal cooks of Perak, incorporates spices that were typically inaccessible to the general population.[108]
Rendang Pahang or opor daging: dark red meat stew cooked with rich spice mix.[109]
Rendang Perak: simpler version of Rendang Tok, a specialty of Perak.
Rendang Rawa: Rawa version of rendang, less complicated in terms of ingredients.[110]
Rendang Kedah: reddish-hued rendang, incorporates the use of red sugar, turmeric leaves, kaffir lime leaves due to the Thai influence on the state cuisine, a specialty of
Kedah.[111]
Rendang Kelantan/Terengganu or kerutuk daging: slow-cooked meat mixed with a unique spice known as kerutub, coconut milk,
kerisik and some palm sugar.[108]
Rendang Nyonya: Peranakan version of rendang, a specialty of
Peranakan.[112]
Rendang Sabah: uses white cumin to replace cinnamon and cloves, a specialty of
Sabah.[113]
Rendang Sarawak: incorporates the use of turmeric leaves, a specialty of
Sarawak.
Rendang Siam: Malay-Siamese version of rendang, incorporates the use of Thai inspired ingredients.
In the Netherlands
The Dutch are familiar with rendang through colonial ties and often serve the wet kalio version in the
Netherlands—usually as part of a rijsttafel. Indonesian dishes, including rendang, are served in numbers of Indonesian restaurants in Dutch cities, especially
The Hague,
Utrecht,
Rotterdam and
Amsterdam.[114]
In the Philippines
In the Philippines, rendang is most commonly associated with the cuisine of the Muslim
Maranao people of
Mindanao. It differs from the Indonesian versions in the use of the native spice mix palapa as well as the addition of muscovado sugar.[115][116][117]
Fusion rendang
Rendang bumbu is sometimes used as the base of other
fusion dishes. Some chefs in Indonesian
sushi establishments for example, have developed a Japanese-Indonesian fusion cuisine with recipes for krakatau roll,
gado-gado roll, rendang roll[118] and
gulai ramen.[119] Several chefs and food industries have experimented with fusing rendang with
sandwiches,
burgers and
spaghetti.
Burger King at one time served their take on a rendang-flavoured burger in their Singapore and Indonesia chains for a limited promotion period.[120][121] Spaghetti with rendang could also be found in
7-Eleven convenience stores across Indonesia.
Rendang is also a popular flavour in Indonesian
instant noodle variants, such as the Indomie Goreng Rendang.[122]
Most recently, there were Taiwanese
baozis with rendang fillings sold at Neo Soho Mall in West Jakarta.[123]
^Pipiet Tri Noorastuti, Febry Abbdinnah (21 September 2011).
"Kisah di Balik Kelezatan Rendang". Viva.co.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 20 September 2015.