According to Mr. Pattiradjawane, he has been attempting to inform people about these regional variations. & nbsp,
” Educating others is the only thing I can do.” If a colleague visits my home, I will offer them my menthik wangi and we will have this supper conversation in the hopes that they will find it interesting as well. This ripple effect is what I’m hoping for. Eventually, they may share that information with their friends.
The same is true of the young, aspiring foodies he encounters and coaches along the way.
It is our responsibility as restaurants to restore people to our cooking traditions and our variety of ingredients, he said.
AN ATTITUDE SHIFT
The efforts to educate Indonesians about these obscure corn types are beginning to pay off.
According to Mdm Hilman, up until 2018, 80 % of her sales came from the global market. Today, however, that percentage has decreased to 35 %, with the remaining sales being made locally.
” Over the past five years, Indonesians have become more conscious of their diets.” She continued,” They want to know what they are eating, where it is from, and how it was grown.
This pattern was also influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, which encouraged people to make healthier food choices.
She continued,” We are not only preserving local varieties, but also the traditional farming methods and knowledge ,” adding that these rice varieties have thrived for centuries without the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
Wahyuning Anggrias, 30, claimed to have found Javara while looking for low-sugar corn for her diabetic family. & nbsp,
” After purchasing the red corn andel abang, I learned about the rice’s past, including how it first gained popularity in Java in the 14th centuries. Therefore, according to Ms. Anggrias, I purchased a different variety of grain and discovered the history behind it as well. & nbsp,
I now only prepare these traditional rice( varieties ) at home. not only because they are good, but also because of their past.