Randang: Authentic Cuisine Heritage from Ranah Minang
Written by Meilisa Kusumawati (Bidang PPA II)
Randang as Culinary Identity for Minangnese
Randang is one of an Indonesia traditional dish and primarily original from Minangkabau. Randah is characterized by its rich and multi-flavor preparation of beef or alternative proteins slow-cooked in coconut milk and a mix of aromatic spices. This dish is known for its deep and complex flavors which was achieved through a lengthy cooking process and resulted very tender meat and thick savory sauce. There are some variations of randang; Chicken Randang, Vegan Randang (usually made of vegetables such as jackfruit, eggplant, and jengkol), Fish Rendang (usually made of lokan; a kind of freshwater shell or tuna), Lamb Randang, etc. Randang is referred to preserved food which usually can age up to months. Randang is common to be prepared as appetizing ready-to-serve food stock for Minangnese.
Not Just Food, But Also Potential Commodities for Export
As a culinary product, randang has significant export potential due to its growing international popularity, driven by the increasing interest in diverse global cuisines. It can be marketed as a premium, ready-to-eat meal or as a gourmet for culinary enthusiasts. Its unique flavor, cultural significance, and nutrition benefits make it attractive to international markets which are seeking signature traditional foods. Also, randang once has been nominated as the most delicious food in the world, we could agree that randang is recognized by global markets. Some key points attribute to randang as potential export commodity are:
1. Authenticity
Randang is made from high-quality ingredients and traditional ways to process.
2. Shelf Stability
With proper packaging, randang is highly stable for stocked up to months and easy to be transferred.
3. Cultural Heritage
Randang represents Indonesian culinary heritage and appeals to consumers who have interest in ethnic gourmet.
4. Health Appeal
Randang utilizes natural-local ingredients and offers highly nutritive option of processed foods.
Concern in Export Potential Development of Randang
West Sumatera’s local government has been working many ways to acknowledge randang to the wide-world citizens. One of those was Festival Budaya Marandang Minangkabau 2024. Held at Agam regency, this festival introduced and manifested the art of marandang; traditional process of cooking randang. Kanwil DJPb Prov. Sumatera Barat was also invited and participated there.
As commitment for export chance development, Kanwil DJPb Prov. Sumatera Barat also connected Himpunan Pengusaha Randang Minangkabau (HIPERMI) through potential parties which lead to expanding and enhancing production of randang. These actions also have consequences to empowering Small and Medium Entreprises (SME) as our special mission. Not only that, Kanwil DJPb Prov. Sumatera Barat has been encouraging and coordinating with local governments to provide randang as local agricultural production stimulus which leads to quality and quantity escalation of food resilience in West Sumatera. Randang, in mass production, by its complex ingredients could revive the agricultural enhancement of West Sumatera.
