''Roti buaya'' ( en, Crocodile bread) is a Betawi two piece sweetened

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

in the shape of a

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

. ''Roti buaya'' is always present in traditional Betawi wedding ceremonies.

History

Bread and pastry-making was introduced by Europeans that settled in Batavia (Jakarta), the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

. Before the arrival of the Europeans who introduced bread, the crocodile shaped dish was made from yam or

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

. The modern version of ''roti buaya'' was created during the colonial era were influenced by Dutch cuisine along with ''

selat solo Selat is a village in the Batang Hari Regency in the Jambi Province of Sumatra, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of ...

'' (Solo salad), '' macaroni schotel'' (macaroni casserole), '' pastel tutup'' (Shepherd's pie), ''bistik jawa'' (Javanese beef steak), '' semur'' (from Dutch ''smoor''), '' erten'' (pea soup), ''

brenebon Brenebon soup or bruinebonensoep is a kidney beans soup commonly found in the Eastern Indonesia, more often specifically associated with Manado cuisine of North Sulawesi. The soup is made from kidney beans with vegetables served in broth seasoned ...

'' (kidney bean soup) and ''

sop buntut Oxtail soup is a soup made with beef tails. The use of the word " ox" in this context is a legacy of nomenclature; no specialized stock of beef animals are used and tails may come from bovines other than oxen. It is believed by some that oxta ...

''.

Symbolism

The Betawi believe that crocodiles mate with only one partner; therefore, the bread is believed to represent the

fidelity Fidelity is the quality of faithfulness or loyalty. Its original meaning regarded duty in a broader sense than the related concept of ''fealty''. Both derive from the Latin word ''fidēlis'', meaning "faithful or loyal". In the City of London f ...

of married couples. During the wedding, the bread on the bride's side is noticed by the guests and the condition of the bread is considered to represent the groom's character. Crocodiles have traditionally been considered to be very patient. Besides fidelity, the bread also represents economic establishment. However, in modern culture the symbolism of the crocodile has changed. A crocodile can refer to bad things, such as in ''buaya judi'' (a gambler), ''buaya minum'' (an alcoholic) and ''buaya darat'' (an unfaithful person). The bread also portrayed patience because crocodiles were patience waiting for their prey. Another version stated that the bread depicted masculinity.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Indonesian cuisine Indonesian breads Betawi cuisine