Virtual exhibition: the porridges of Indonesia behind the delicacies / Amalia Lestari

Porridege is one famous type of dish in the world. With its smooth texture and simplicity, porridge holds a special bond with people around the world. Indonesia and other Asian countries are no strangers to the dish. With its history dating back hundreds of years ago through the Chinese who first introduced it, porridge or bubur in Indonesia developed into various kinds with different ingredients, tastes, and cultures behind it spread across the country.

Porridge, also known as congee and bubur in Indonesian, holds an important position to warm a sick body, as it was known as a comfort food in China. The Chinese who migrated to various regions around the globe and were not in a wealthy condition rely on porridge to survive. Hayatinufus Tobing, a culinary expert, explained that with their limited food resource, rice can be cooked as rice porridge to increase its quantity. The strong porridge-eating tradition in several regions in Indonesia was enriched by the Chinese community who settled in the region. Tobing also explained that the more Chinese in the region settled, the higher the possibility of one variation of porridge to develop in the region.