RENDANG - MALAYSIAN DISH

RESOURCE : ASEAN CULTURE & HISTORY > 23 November 2024

Traditional Malay culinary delights including Rendang, are staple for every Malay household and usually served in special feast during the celebration of Eid all across Malaysia, even in Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia.

In Malay language, the word 'rendang' may carries several meanings;

1. to fry in general

2. to cook something with coconut oil until it dries out

3. to fry without oil

4. a specific dish made of different types of meat and cooked with spices and coconut milk until it dries out

5. 'rendang' with the 'e' pronounced as close-mid front unrounded vowel (/e/); 'exuberant' (for plants); example: 'plants with exuberant foliage'.⁽¹⁾

The history of rendang traces back to the era of 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 in the 15th century,⁽²⁾ when its capital was a regional centre of maritime spice trade, attracting traders from east and west. It was from this melting port of cultures, that the sophisticated Malay culinary tradition, including in meat processing techniques, were developed. Modern Rendang shows a fusion of Malay, Indian, and Portuguese culinary traditions, where it incorporates the use of coconut milk, dry spices, and chillies.⁽³⁾⁽⁴⁾

The method of cooking called 'rendang' (to fry) have been mentioned in several Classical Malay literary texts associated with Melaka Sultanate, particularly 𝑆𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛 (14th century).

The world’s earliest and first record of the word 'rendang' as a specific dish can be found in the 𝐻𝑖𝑘𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑡 𝐴𝑚𝑖𝑟 𝐻𝑎𝑚𝑧𝑎ℎ (1500s) which recorded a certain 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑔 (goat meat rendang).⁽²⁾ In 𝐻𝑖𝑘𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑡 𝐻𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑢𝑎ℎ (1700s), the term 'rendang' was used as a catch-all phrase for meat dishes that are fried or stewed apart from curries (𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑖).⁽⁵⁾ A specific 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑠 (rendang made of a type of saltwater clams) is mentioned in Perak chronicle, 𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑎 𝑀𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑢 (1780s).⁽⁶⁾

In foreign records, the term 'rindang' appeared in the Dutch-Malay dictionary (1623) referring to a method of frying in clarified butter or oil,⁽⁷⁾ while in 1701, the term 'randang' was registered in the first ever English-Malay dictionary, meaning to 'to fry'.⁽⁸⁾ In A Dictionary of the Malay Language (1894), it is stated that a dry curry is termed 'rendang', while a wet curry is called 𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑖 by the Malays.⁽⁹⁾ Rendang is also defined as 'to fry with oil and spices'.⁽¹⁰⁾

Rendang is also recorded in the 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑎ℎ 𝑀𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑢 𝑑𝑎𝑛 𝐵𝑢𝑔𝑖𝑠 (1865), where the Yang Di-Pertuan Muda of Johor served religious leaders 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑠 (spicy rendang) and 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑚 (chicken rendang) following a religious ceremony in 1738.⁽¹¹⁾ In A Royal Malay Banquet Menu extracted from Perak and the Malays: "Sarong" and "Kris" (1878), the Maharajah of Johor hosted a banquet where a plethora of Malay dishes were presented including 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑔 (minced meat rendang) and 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑖 (a type of fish rendang).⁽¹²⁾

Today, there are hundreds of rendang variants which vary depending on the region and ingredients, with new variations continue to be created. In 2009, Rendang was designated as one of Malaysia's national heritages by the Jabatan Warisan Negara (JWN).

Credit: Sandii Kama

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𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬

⁽¹⁾ Kamus Dewan - rendang

⁽²⁾ A Samad Ahmad, p. 10

⁽³⁾ Boileau JP (2011), p. 228

⁽⁴⁾ Jackson, Annabel (2020), p. 70

⁽⁵⁾ Kassim Ahmad (1975), p. 507

⁽⁶⁾ Raja Chulan bin Hamid (1962), p. 177

⁽⁷⁾ Wiltens, Caspar., Danckaerts, Sebastiaan., Heurnius, Justus., Ruyl, A. C.., Hasel, Jan van. (1650), p. 6

⁽⁸⁾ Bowrey, Thomas (1701), Section 9

⁽⁹⁾ Clifford, Hugh Charles., Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1894), p. 504

⁽¹⁰⁾ Clifford, Hugh Charles., Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1894), p. 499

⁽¹¹⁾ Raja Ali Haji (1984), p. 258

⁽¹²⁾ McNair, John Frederick Adolphus (1878), p.211

𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲

1. Ahmad AS (1987), Hikayat Amir Hamzah [Amir Hamzah’s chronicle]. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia
2. Boileau JP. (2011), Portuguese in Asia. In: Albala K, editor. Food cultures of the world encyclopedia (3rd volume of four volume). Oxford: The Greenwood Press
3. Bowrey, Thomas (1701). A Dictionary, English and Malayo, Malayo and English. United Kingdom: Sam. Bridge, 1701. https://books.google.com.my/.../A_Dictionary_English_and...
4. Clifford, Hugh Charles., Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1894), A Dictionary of the Malay Language. Malaysia: authors at the Government's printing Office
5. Jackson, Annabel (2020) The Making of Macau's Fusion Cuisine: From Family Table to World Stage. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press
6. Kassim Ahmad (ed.) (1975), Hikayat Hang Tuah, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
7. Kamus Dewan (4th edition) - Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu. https://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Cari1?keyword=rendang&d=41812&#1
8. McNair, John Frederick Adolphus (1878) Perak and the Malays: "sārong" and "krīs.". United Kingdom: Tinsley Brothers.
9. Raja Ali Haji (1984) Salasilah Melayu dan Bugis, ed. Mohd. Yusof Md. Nor, Kuala Lumpur: Fajar Bakti
10. Raja Chulan bin Hamid (1962), Misa Melayu, ed. R.O. Winstedt, Kuala Lumpur: Pustaka Antara.
11. Wiltens, Caspar., Danckaerts, Sebastiaan., Heurnius, Justus., Ruyl, A. C.., Hasel, Jan van. (1650) Vocabularium, ofte Woorden-Boeck: nae ordre van den Alphabeth in't Duytsch en Maleys. Netherlands: ghedruckt door ordre van de E.E. heeren bewinthehebberen der Geoctroyeerde Oost-Indische Compagnie

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6/12/2024: 3.49 p.m