The New Year celebration may have already passed but we can still feel the festivity in the air. Each country has their tradition of celebrating this moment including Indonesia. We somewhat have our special dish to be served during the New Year’s Eve celebration!

Pala pendem usually consists of cassava, sweet potato, potato, yam, and sometimes peanuts. Generally, they are only boiled or steamed before being served as snacks. This rooty food, which became a staple diet for almost the entire archipelago in the 1960s, is still widely found in Jombang, East Java.

This might be the most authentic dish from this country to celebrate the New Year. In Javanese tradition, pala pendem is usually offered at rituals or served in commemoration events. So, what is its philosophy for Javanese society?

Firstly, root vegetables symbolize the origin of human life which was created from the soil and will return to the land. This is in sync with research findings that elements found in our body are also found in the ground. If the content is broken down into its basic elements, the result will be that the human body consists of chemical elements that are no different from the chemical elements found on Earth.

Secondly, the land we stand on is something very sacred. Thanks to the soil, we can get food to eat. That’s why meals that come directly from the ground should be appreciated.

Furthermore, the shape of its tumpeng (dish placed on a rounded woven bamboo container) is not the same as tumpeng in general. Because tumpeng pala pendem is parallel. This is defined as equality in our life because originally we were all alike. There is no difference in rank, let alone caste.

This philosophy of Javanese society is very meaningful. Pala pendem can be planted anywhere without requiring a large area of ​​land. The meaning is to distance oneself from worldly greed.

Apart from that, pala pendem is cooked by boiling or steaming. This means that it is very safe to consume, far from chemical elements. People in the past who had it as their staple diet looked healthier and rarely suffered from serious illnesses such as cholesterol.

A study states that the habit of consuming boiled or steamed vegetables is very good for your health and protects against various chronic diseases. This meal is worth giving a shot! So, will you try this Indonesian way to celebrate your next New Year’s Eve?

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