TRADITIONAL CULINARY TRADITIONS OF THE LUMAJANG COMMUNITY AS A REPRESENTATION OF THE PENDALUNGAN CULTURAL IDENTITY

TRADITIONAL CULINARY TRADITIONS OF THE LUMAJANG COMMUNITY AS A REPRESENTATION OF THE PENDALUNGAN CULTURAL IDENTITY 

Aliffiati1*, AA Ayu Murniasih2 1Faculty of Cultural Knowledge, Universitas Udayana, Jl. Nias 13 Sanglah, Denpasar, Bali. 2Faculty of Cultural Knowledge, Universitas Udayana, Jl. Nias 13 Sanglah, Denpasar, Bali. *Corresponding author: fifiatmadji@yahoo.co.id 

ABSTRACT The long-term objectives of this research are "to re-inventory the traditional culinary traditions of the Lumajang community as an effort to preserve the community traditional culinary traditions with a pendalungan culture and to provide the long-term benefits for the community to improve their standard of living". The objectives are achieved by accomplishing a specific research target, i.e. conducting inventory on various traditional culinary traditions that show the identity of the Lumajang community as a community with a pendalungan culture. The issues to be identified and understood in this research are (1) How is the classification of culinary traditions in the Lumajang community as a pendalungan cultural identity? and (2) How does the Lumajang community manage traditional culinary? The research method used to achieve the above objectives and targets is a qualitative method supported with quantitative methods as necessary with phenomenological and interpretative paradigms. The research results show that the variety of traditional culinary traditions of the Lumajang community can be classified into daily culinary traditions, culinary traditions related to a certain time, and culinary traditions related to the life cycle events. The Lumajang community develops traditional culinary as a part of the creative economic commodities. 

Keywords: cultural identity, pendalungan, traditional culinary 

Background 

Lumajang Regency is one of the regencies in East Java Province located in the horseshoe area with numerous natural potentials, one of which is the abundant food potential as evidenced by five-time achievements as the healthy regency in the Java zone. The assessment of Regional Inflation Control Team (Tim Pengendali Inflasi Daerah, TPID) was based on 3 excellent programs in Lumajang Regency, i.e.: 1) Action of organic fertilization and certified superior seeds (Sigarpun 

Bulat); 2) Action of local staple food fondness (Si Gempal); and 3) Eating fish fondness and agropolitan markets. 

The Lumajang community has a pendalungan culture i.e. a blend of Javanese and Madurese cultures and, in subsequent developments, Arabic and Chinese cultures as well, causing it to be classified as a multicultural society. It is very interesting especially in the culinary traditions within the Lumajang community which portrays a combination of various culinary traditions. For the community, it is the culinary tradition they have and inherit from generation to generation containing local wisdom elements, despite the fact that traditional culinary tradition is marginalized by the presence of modern culinary. 

An effort to preserve traditional culinary traditions as the Pendalungan community identity is through food re-inventory with the community’s standard of living improvement as the longterm objective. The issues the researchers aim to identify and understand in this research are how the classification of culinary traditions in the Lumajang community as the pendalungan community identity and how the community manages the traditional culinary. 

Research Methods 

 This research emphasizes the understanding aspect with qualitative method supported with quantitative data. The research was conducted in 3 sub-districts in Lumajang Regency, i.e. Lumajang Sub-District, Senduro Sub-District, and Klakah Sub-District, with consideration of food source and agricultural products trade regions, the center of culinary tourism development, and ethnic groups inhabiting the regions. 

This study used in-depth interview and observation techniques. Informants were chosen purposively, i.e. those with extensive and deep knowledge related to traditional culinary. The informants comprised community leaders, housewives, and traditional culinary connoisseurs. The numbers of informants in this study were 20 people. Data analysis was done by interpretative analysis with emic and etic approaches. 

Results 

Lumajang Regency is one of the regencies located in the horseshoe area of East Java Province and one of the food storage areas for East Java Province. The geographical position of 

this regency is 112o -53' - 113o -23' East Longitude and 7o -54' -8o -23’ South Latitude, bordered by 3 volcanoes of Mount Semeru, Mount Bromo, and Mount Lamongan. The total area of 1,790.90 km2 is divided into 21 sub-districts, 198 villages, 7 sub-districts, 1,749 RWs and 7,023 RTs. The population in June 2016 was 1,104,759 people. The 2016 Statistics Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS) data stated that the livelihoods of the population were mostly in the agricultural sector (including plantations, livestock, fisheries, and forestry) comprising 230,656 people or 44.51% of the productive aged population. Gross Regional Domestic Product (Produk Domestik Regional Bruto, PDRB) of Lumajang Regency is supported by the agriculture, forestry, and fishery sector (36.49%), manufacturing and industry sector (19.48%), and trade sector (14.20%). 

The culinary traditions of the Lumajang community are similar to most Javanese’s and Madurese’s traditions. Food concept in the Lumajang community is related to culinary habits or traditions carried out from generation to generation and is evolving until now, i.e. daily culinary and culinary in important events or related to celebration or slametan or kajatan. Meal patterns or mangan for most Lumajang community is when they consume staple food, as the following expression of "wis mangan lek wis mangan sego" which means someone has already eaten if s/he has eaten rice with side dishes and vegetables. 

The daily culinary traditions of the Lumajang community generally consist of three-time meal times in one day, i.e. breakfast in the morning, lunch or mangan awan at noon, and dinner or mangan bengi at night. Non-staple foods are complementary foods or better known as snacks, which are foods consumed between the change of mealtime, such as waiting for breakfast, waiting for lunch, or in the afternoon. Daily meals serving tend to adjust to the ability of the areas which is associated with available food sources and the family's economic situation. 

The breakfast menu has a simple process and serving. Many people even have breakfast only with cakes or snacks accompanied by coffee, tea or milk. Coffee and tea are beverages many people are fond of. In general, people rarely consume milk, although milk is one of the mainstay products in this region, especially in Senduro. The community considers milk as a beverage for children and the rich or wong sugih. The very popular breakfast menu is coffee and sticky rice such as ketan bubuk (sticky rice sprinkled with soybean powder), ketan kinco (sticky rice topped with brown caramelized grated coconuts), and ketan koro (sticky rice mixed with koro beans). This type of food is a popular food being enjoyed by all people. Generally, they buy those foods in 

stalls. Besides ketan, the community loves jajan pasar (market snacks). Typical types of jajan pasar in Lumajang are latok (steamed tapioca layer cake in red, green, and white colors topped with grated coconuts and palm sugar vla), tawonan (a kind of putu cake mixed with red beans or tolo beans), and buki (a steamed cake similar to tawonan but in black color). 

Lunch and dinner generally have more varied process and serving. Rural community and urban community have different lunch and dinner patterns. The amount and type of food and beverages the rural community provides and consumes on a daily basis are limited. The rural community gets vegetables from the garden or fields, use fewer spices, and have simple processing methods compliant with the hereditary techniques. In contrast, the urban community has a more diverse food type, process, and serving. 

The Lumajang community is classified as a community that still upholds the ancestral heritage traditions, especially in celebrating sacred times. Slametan as a form of gratitude to God is given as part of the celebration. Various foods are served in slametan, one of which is tumpeng. 

Tumpeng dates back to ancient Indonesian tradition that revered mountains as the abode of ancestral spirits. Hindu culture also influences the philosophical meaning of tumpeng. The coneshaped tumpeng meant to mimics Mount Mahameru in which ancestral divine spirits inhabit. According to Javanese-Islamic tradition, the word tumpeng is an acronym in the Javanese language that stands for yen metu kudu sing mempeng which shall mean make it count when you step out. The numbers of side dishes are usually seven (pitu) from the word pitulungan which means help. Tumpeng is an offering to God to be given guidance, kindness, and help. 

The community culinary traditions related to important events or the gratitude celebration (slametan or kajatan) are described below. 

1. The culinary traditions of the Lumajang community related to the celebration of important events: 

a. Suro. Satu Suro or the first day of Muharram (Hijri calendar) is the New Year celebration based on the Hijri or the Qomariyah calendar (lunar calendar). Satu Suro has special meaning among the Javanese, Madurese, and Lumajang communities, especially those who still follow the Kejawen tradition. They will have slametan by serving specific menu including rice and side 

dishes such as chicken, eggs, tempeh, tofu, vegetables, noodles, and mashed potato fritters. In addition, they also make suro porridge. b. Sapar is celebrated by making jenang sapar or jenang grendul. Jenang grendul is marblesshaped sticky rice flour being boiled with palm sugar and consumed with thick coconut milk topping. c. Muludan or Mawlid al-Nabi is the commemoration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad. Muludan is conducted because the majority of Lumajang people are Muslim. Muludan is celebrated by having slametan in the mosque or langgar by bringing foods and fruits. Residents exchange what they bring or ijol-ijolan, pray together and have a meal together. Muludan aims to continuously remember and be able to imitate the prophet’s behavior. d. Megengan or slametan to welcome Ramadan. The typical food in megengan is kue apem (traditional cake of steamed dough made of rice flour, coconut milk, yeast, and palm sugar) as the necessary cake in this slametan. e. Riyoyo or slametan to welcome the arrival of 1 Shawwal. The typical food is kue apem. f. Kupatan or slametan which is done 7 days after Eid al-Fitr or the 7th of Shawwal. The main cuisines in Kupatan are kupat (rice packed inside diamond-shaped young coconut leaves), lepet (steamed sticky rice cooked in plaited young coconut leaves), and lontong (rice wrapped in banana leaves) with complementary dishes of opor ayam (chicken cooked in coconut milk), sambal goreng (beef liver in sambal), telur petis (eggs cooked in shrimp paste), koya (soybeans powder), and srundeng (sauteed grated coconut).  g. Barikan or slametan which is held a night before Indonesian Independence day on August 17 or the night of August 16 at the village road/village intersection. All Lumajang people have barikan. h. Bersih deso is annual slametan held by all the villagers as a thanksgiving to God for the welfare they achieve. i. Slametan kajian is slametan held by the prospective pilgrims before they leave, when they have Hajj, and when they already return. Madurese usually conduct slametan kajian. 

2. The culinary traditions related to the life cycle events is slametan or kajatan carried out relating to the process of a person's life journey from the womb to death. The purpose is to request God's 

protection for the safety and the happiness in the world and the hereafter. The types and variety of culinary vary greatly depending on the needs and economic conditions of the host. a. Slametan related to pregnancy consists of slametan at three months and seven months of pregnancy. Slametan is held only for the first pregnancy (first child). The food includes rice, vegetables, noodles, eggs, chicken, and red porridge. b. Brokohan or slametan of newborns with red porridge and nasi kulupan (rice served with a salad dish of steamed vegetables mixed with seasoned and spiced grated coconut for dressing), or jajan iwel-iwel (a cake made of sticky rice flour and brown sugar, wrapped in banana leaves). c. Slametan pupak puser is slametan at the dropping off of the baby’s umbilical cord. The food is similar to the food in brokohan. d. Sunatan or the male circumcision slametan as the sign of boys entering adulthood or akil baliq. e. Slametan manten with the food offered consisting of food for slametan, food for besan (parents-in-law) and family, and served food to be eaten together. f. Slametan for the deceased is held in the day of the death, and then repeated in three, seven, forty, and 100 days after the death, mendhak 1 (the first anniversary), mendhak 2 (the second anniversary), and 1000 days after the death. 

Mixed or embedded Pendalungan culture makes the Lumajang community generally open to newcomer, culture, and change. This condition influences almost all areas of life, including the culinary culture in the community. Moreover, the culinary traditions have developed as culinary tourism along with Lumajang development as a tourism destination in East Java. 

Culinary tourism in Lumajang continues to develop, supported by various activities organized by the government, the private sector, and the cooperation between the local government and the private sector. The most important factor is the people enthusiasm to develop their culinary as an economic asset. Various foods that used to be home-based foods limited to fulfilling family need have now developed into a part of creative economic commodities of the Lumajang community. Nasi jagung (rice and corn cooked together) is an example. 

Nasi jagung, the staple food of the Madurese, becomes a distinctive menu of lesehan (a seating arrangement in which people eat while sitting on a grass mat) in Lumajang. Nasi jagung 

with daun kelor (moringa leaves) vegetables is a contemporary trend for Lumajang people. They are not ashamed to, even proudly, consume this food. The movement to diversify non-rice staple foods proclaimed by the local government by launching several villages as kelor villages and holding annual free nasi jagung celebration is used by the community as a business opportunity, causing many nasi jagung stalls are found. 

The Lumajang icon as a City of Banana has long been known because Lumajang produces many different types of bananas with Pisang Agung as the endemic banana. The community process Pisang Agung, especially the Senduro community, as one of the MSME’s products and becomes a mainstay product and distinctive souvenir from Lumajang. Efforts to strengthen identity as a city of banana are carried out in various ways, one of which is establishing the statue of Pisang Agung in every corner of the city. Siamese orange, which was originally an orange from Garut, is currently known by the wider community as the Lumajang orange. There are many more types of food, foodstuffs or culinary in the community which become economic commodities. 

Discussion 

Two approaches in anthropology examine the relationship between food and culture. The first is the cognition approach which considers that food is a cultural element and has ritual values, beliefs, and so forth. This model shows the study tendency that investigates food due to cultural factors. Cultural factors are the only cause without involving other factors. For example, the ethnic meal culture examination is associated with cultural values, beliefs, taboos, superstitions, myths and so forth. The theme within this approach is a knowledge map. 

The second approach is to understand food as something not only related to cultural and ideological factors, in which cultural factors are only a small part of the food. This approach was developed by Jerome, Kandel, and Pelto (1980) known as the ecological approach. It is due to a change in the socio-cultural community showing reduced cultural values. Culture is parallel with other elements such as social organization, social environment, physical environment, and technology which influence food as a basic human need. It means that cultural contribution is equal to other items. It shows that culture will change when interacting with the environment, as deterministic ecological approach view the interaction of culture and environment. 

Both of these approaches are used to review the variety of traditional culinary in Lumajang with various ethnic cultural backgrounds, especially Madurese and Javanese. The diversity of culinary traditions in the Lumajang community is strongly influenced by the wide variety of available food sources (ecological factors) as well as people consumption habits significantly influenced by cultural factors. The types of food and foodstuff as well as the food name in the community generally are the combination or acculturation of the Javanese and Madurese culinary varieties, even after the current development involves other ethnic culinary varieties. 

Conclusion 

The Lumajang community as the community with a pendalungan culture or the blend of Javanese and Madurese culture has a unique traditional culinary traditions. In general, the traditional culinary traditions of the Lumajang community are similar to the culinary traditions of the Javanese and Madurese communities. Specifically, it can be classified into two traditions, i.e. the daily culinary traditions and culinary traditions related to celebrations or slametan. Culinary traditions related to celebrations are specifically divided into 2 traditions i.e. culinary traditions related to important events and culinary traditions related to the life cycle events. 

Tourism development and improvement trend in Lumajang influence the development of traditional culinary traditions. This potential and opportunity encourage Lumajang community to develop their local culinary as one of the creative economic commodities through various independent activities and activities from the local government and the private sector. Local government actively collaborates with the private sector through various policies and activities to develop traditional culinary potential from the domestic domain to the public domain, i.e. from family meals and rituals or slametan to economic-value traditional culinary to increase family income. 

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