Lontong Cap Go Meh is The Delta of Chinese-Indonesians and Islam.
In the nothern coast of Java, the Peranakan community recollected memories of the fifteenth day of Lunar New Year and lived side-by-side with the santri of Islamic boarding school.
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A TV was on with a journalist reporting some news in Chinese, while grandchildren surrounded the grandmother who sat down on a chair, reminiscing the old days when they were younger. Bella Elisebha took me back to the times when her family in Semarang, Central Java, used to celebrate Cap Go Meh. Semarang is one of the three main ports in Java, after Jakarta and Surabaya. The history of Semarang as a port goes back to the 8th century when the name was Pragota. Its strategic location in the center of the northern coast easily made Semarang the door of Java. In 1406, a Muslim Chinese admiral, possibly from Yunnan, called Zheng He was sent to Java by the Yongle Emperor. His destination was a small port city called Tuban, but he made a stop in Semarang as his captain fell sick. His captain, Wang Jing Hong, stayed in Semarang.
The city of Semarang is divided by a big river called Kali Semarang that flows from the Java Sea. Around the river lies the Pecinan or China town area. This city itself is the delta of Javanese, European, Chinese, and Islamic culture. Islam was spread to Semarang in the 15th century during the Sultanate of Demak. The coming of Islam and the early arrival of Chinese through Zheng He happened shortly from one to another, making the Peranakan culture or Chinese-descent culture in Semarang heavily influenced by Muslim Javanese.
“There is one thing that attracts our attention during our travel in Central Java. We see the Chinese and Peranakan, male and female, who mingle with Indonesians, showing no group difference, and very seldom do we hear Indonesian words said by a Peranakan toward the Indonesians here. Everything [is said] in Javanese; even among the Peranakan. Javanese is the daily language. In a conversation between a Peranakan and a Javanese conducted in Javanese, the Peranakan would try not to be boastful. In short, in our observation, the Peranakan in Central Java is in fact a ‘slant-eyed’ Javanese. ”, Parada Harahap, in his article Indonesia Sekarang, published in Bulan Bintang;1952 - ironically he’s an anti-Chinese Indonesia.
The quote above suggests a high degree of assimilation done by the Peranakan community in Central Java in 1930s. Scholars of Chinese Indonesian history have also confirmed this. Peranakan in Central Java have always been known to speak Javanese, instead of their Hokkien dialect. Unlike the newer migration that came to Bangka Belitung and Singkawang in the 18th century for the purpose of working on mining, the early waves of Chinese immigrants came all the way to trade and finally, to settle. According to Agni Malagina, the assimilation of Chinese to Javanese culture in the north coast of Java that had happened for a really long time since the arrival of Zheng He resulted in many forms of assimilation, including in culinary.
Lontong Cap Go Meh illustration by Rini of Colorclue. Check her food illustrations here
Lontong Cap Go Meh is a special dish served on the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year. Cap Go Meh is taken from the Hokkien dialect that means “the fifteenth night”. In China, this special day is called Shàngyuán or Yuánxiāo; a festival where people eat Tang Yuan or Yuan xiao, glutinous sticky balls filled with either ground nuts or ground black sesame seeds. However, the Peranakan in Java opts for a different kind of dish in this festival. Agni Malagina said that the Peranakan in Java, having lost many original recipes from mainland China, had chosen to adapt and respect the local culture. This process of adaptation and assimilation led to Lontong Cap Go Meh. Lontong Cap Go Meh comes from the northern coast of Java, however, it was in Semarang that Lontong Cap Go Meh perhaps found the fullest expression.
During 13th to 16th century, Semarang was packed with a bustling Islamic culture with Javanese santri (students) eager to learn about Islam in pesantren (Islamic boarding school). When these santri held a celebration, they enjoyed Ketupat or Lontong, pressed rice cake, with Opor Ayam. While Ketupat refers to pressed rice cake in diamond shape, enjoyed by Muslim Javanese during Idul Fitri; Lontong is the tubular one. According to Murdijati Garjito, “For Peranakan, Lontong, when cut into pieces, resembles the round shape of the full moon - and that is the time when Cap Go Meh is celebrated”. The glutinous and sticky texture of Lontong is also similar to Tang Yuan as it symbolizes a hope that your family will always stick together. While Tang Yuan is often associated with its warm clear broth, Lontong Cap Go Meh comes with Opor Ayam and its tender chicken in oozing spice-packed coconut milk.
Just like the full menu of Nasi Berkat that the Javanese cook for selametan (an event where the whole community or neighbors come to a house to pray together as a form of gratitude), the elements in Lontong Cap Go Meh goes beyond Opor Ayam. Telur Petis, Sambal Goreng Ati, Sambal Goreng Udang, Lodeh, and ground soybean. Telur Petis is a Peranakan take on Javanese Telur Bacem; instead of marinating eggs in sweet soy sauce and palm sugar, Peranakan marinate the eggs in Petis (fermented shrimp paste with molasses). Sambal Goreng Ati is an essential element in every celebratory dish like in Nasi Berkat; chicken heart and liver are tossed together in sambal. Bamboo shoot is an essential element in Cap Go Meh. It comes in Lodeh and Sambal Goreng Udang. Lodeh is a Javanese-style soup where they usually put chayote, but for Peranakan, sometimes they opt for Rebung or bamboo shoot as the element. Another side dish with bamboo shoots is Sambal Goreng Udang, shrimps tossed in sambal, along with Rebung or bamboo shoots. To top it off, Kerupuk Udang (shrimp crackers) and ground soybean are added for some sweet and savory touch as a wish for a rich and flavorful life.
No matter how deeply assimilated Chinese or Peranakan celebration to the local culture in Indonesia, it cannot be taken away from the fact that there had always been repression to this community. In 1967, through Presidential Decree number 14, 6 December 1967, Soeharto, the president in power, instructed the Chinese-Indonesians and Peranakan community to celebrate Chinese celebrations and religious ceremonies only in private. This repression further enforced the Peranakan community to assimilate. There was no sight of red lanterns or barongsai performance like what we see today. Imlek or Lunar New Year and Cap Go Meh were celebrated at home. Patricia Tanumihardja’s Pohpoh (grandmother) was amongst those who had to cheer in silence. Pat’s Pohpoh cooked Lontong Cap Go Meh for the fifteenth day of Lunar New Year, she also made Kue Keranjang (Nian Gao) as Cap Go Meh is the last day to enjoy it. It was not until they moved to Singapore that Pat’s family could celebrate Chinese celebrations in liberty. Her mom would host a party during Cap Go Meh and invite the Indonesian community in Singapore; continuing the legacy from Pohpoh.
In 1999, Abdurrahman Wahid, the fourth president of Indonesia who went by the nickname Gus Dur, overturned the previous Presidential Decree and released Presidential Decree number 6 in 2000 that acknowledges the Chinese-Indonesian and Peranakan community in Indonesia and give them the freedom to practice their own religion, belief, religious ceremonies, and celebrations. Younger generations of Chinese-Indonesians and Peranakan who were born in the 1990s could not recall the days when Chinese celebrations were banned. Many of them got the chance to celebrate the special day. “I think if your family still practices Confucianism, most likely you will celebrate Cap Go Meh. I’m very lucky to get to do it thanks to my aunt who lived together with me and my mother. She used to make Lontong Cap Go Meh and Bakcang from scratch at home. Now, we buy Lontong Cap Go Meh.”, said Celcea Tifani, a Hakka-Chinese descent who lives in Surabaya.
Today, you don’t have to go to the north coast of Java to enjoy this special dish. Lontong Cap Go Meh can be found in other coastal areas in Indonesia - from Surabaya, Jakarta, and even Palembang. Some Indonesian-diaspora-owned restaurants also offer the warmth of Lontong Cap Go Meh. Pat’s parents once owned a restaurant in Seattle, Julia’s Indonesian Kitchen, where they served it by the name Lontong Sayur (just like how it’s called in Jakarta). If you’re in London, you can also enjoy Lontong Sayur, the Betawi version, at Pino’s Warung every Friday.
As I was texting Bella, she said she was looking forward to enjoying this meal again in Semarang with her family. The rising of Omicron has made it difficult, once again, to cross the island. “After the passing of my Oma, we started ordering it or asked my aunt’s maid to cook it. Even if we don’t make it anymore, enjoying Lontong Cap Go Meh evokes memories”.
In the upcoming Lantern Festival/Yuanxiao/Cap Go Meh, you could make Lontong Cap Go Meh, by following some selected recipes below - 10/10 it would be Hau Ciek*
What to Cook For Today’s Lontong Cap Go Meh (recipe in English)
Diah Didi’s Lontong Cap Go Meh Semarang (recipe in Indonesian)
Giok Lian’s Lontong Cap Go Meh (recipe in Indonesian and Surabaya-Javanese dialect)
*Hau Ciek = delicious (for food, in Hokkien)
Selamat memasak. Happy cooking!
Prinka of Dapur Saraswati