Rempeyek or peyek is a

deep-fried Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Norma ...

savoury Indonesian- Javanese cracker made from flour (usually

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

) with other ingredients, bound or coated by crispy flour batter. The most common type of rempeyek is ''peyek kacang'' ("

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...

peyek"); however, other ingredients can be used instead, such as ''teri'' (dried

anchovies An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

), ''rebon'' (small shrimp), or ''ebi'' (

dried shrimp Dried shrimp are shrimp that have been sun-dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami taste. A handful of shrimp is generally used for dishes. The fla ...

). Today, rempeyek is commonly found in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, as well as in countries with considerable Indonesian migrant populations, such as

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and Suriname. Coconut milk, salt, and spices such as ground

candlenut ''Aleurites moluccanus'', the candlenut, is a flowering tree in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, also known as candleberry, Indian walnut, ''kemiri'', varnish tree, ''nuez de la India'', ''buah keras'', ''godou'', kukui nut tree, and ''rata k ...

and coriander are often mixed within the flour batter. Some recipes also add a chopped

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

leaf. The spiced batter, mixed or sprinkled with the granule ingredients, is deep fried in hot coconut oil. The flour batter acts as a binding agent for the granules (peanuts, anchovy, shrimp, etc.). It hardens upon frying and turns into a golden brown and crispy cracker. In Indonesia, rempeyek making is traditionally a small-scale home industry, yet today some rempeyek producers have reached a larger production scale and distribute widely with a rempeyek-brand trading value reaching 25 million Rupiah (around US$2,100) monthly. In Malaysia, rempeyek now is widely made using machines.

Etymology and origin

''Rempeyek'' is derived from the Javanese

onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', '' ...

''peyek'', depicting the sound of a crisp cracker breaking. Rempeyek is often associated with

Javanese cuisine Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java. Definition Javanese cuisine refers exclusively to the cuisine of Javanese people, ...

, served to accompany

pecel Pecel (, Javanese:ꦥꦼꦕꦼꦭ꧀) is a traditional Javanese salad with peanut sauce, usually eaten with carbs ( steamed rice, '' lontong'' or '' ketupat''). The simplicity of pecel preparation and its cheap price have contributed to its po ...

(vegetables in peanut sauce) or other meals, or as a stand-alone snack. Today, it is common throughout

, and is also popular in

following the migration of Javanese immigrants in the early 19th century.

Variants

The most common and widely distributed type of rempeyek is ''rempeyek kacang'' (peanut rempeyek); however,

anchovy An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

, small shrimp,

, spinach (''rempeyek bayam''), and beans such as mung beans and

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...

s are also common types. ''Rempeyek kacang'' is especially common in the Banyumas region of Central Java, while ''rempeyek rebon'' (small shrimp) is common in the Javanese port town of

Cirebon Cirebon (, formerly rendered Cheribon or Chirebon in English) is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is the only coastal city of West Java, located about 40 km west of the provincial border with Central J ...

. Rempeyek made with larger shrimp are commonly found in Padang restaurants. More niche variants with insect ingredients, such as crickets and termites, also exist.

In popular culture

A popular Javanese song, ''Iwak Peyek'', by female

dangdut Dangdut () is a genre of Indonesian folk music that is partly derived and fused from Hindustani, Arabic and to lesser extent, Malay and local folk music. Dangdut is a most popular musical genre in Indonesia and a very popular in other Malay w ...

group Trio Macan, describes ''rempeyek'' as a commoners' dish. It served as the rallying song for supporters of Persebaya football club from Surabaya,

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

External links

Making that peanut and anchovy cracker – Rempeyek
Yahoo! Entertainment
Rempeyek Kacang Recipe
Kompas.com (in Indonesian)

References

{{Malaysian cuisine Indonesian snack foods Malaysian snack foods Deep fried foods Flour

Etymology and origin

Variants

In popular culture

External links

See also

References