Time for #Alstroepedia & we're going to talk about "Nasi Tumpeng"!
From history, we know that the cone shape of "tumpeng" came as the symbolism to the holy mountain, where the gods and spirit dwelled according to ancient Indonesian mythology.
"Tumpeng" was made as an offering to the gods. It started to take the shape of cone when Hinduism entered that period. The philosophy of the shape also related to geographical condition of Indonesia where there exist numerous mountains & volcanoes-
-making the land fertile. (Especially in Java island). Nowadays, "tumpeng" is a symbol of showing gratitude in events or ceremonies (syukuran / selametan events, literally means : "gratitude" in English). Everyone would then enjoy the "tumpeng" together.
Even the side dishes served in "tumpeng" have their own philosophy, for example : "Urap" (some form of raw vegetable salad mixed with spiced coconut shreds) symbolizes protection. The whole chicken symbolizes a gesture in the direction of God. Boiled eggs symbolizes gentleness.
And so many more since there are a lot side dishes in "tumpeng", some foods might have different symbolism in certain areas. At least 7 different side dishes would be served since in Javanese, 7 is read as "pitu", which means "pertolongan" or "help/aid".
Anyway, yesterday Layla also received an info from one of #TeamBaksomeria that the correct way of cutting "tumpeng" is actually not from the peak, because it might get conflicted with the philosophy. Since if you cut it from the peak, it would represent-
-cutting the relationship between God and humans. So, the proper way of eating tumpeng is taking the rice from below, until the peak reaches the bottom.
Very interesting!
By the way, this is just a short info about "tumpeng", there's actually a lot more into it!
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.