Brem is traditional

fermented food In food processing, fermentation is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohol or organic acids using microorganisms—yeasts or bacteria—under anaerobic (oxygen-free) conditions. Fermentation usually implies that the action of microorganism ...

fermented beverage This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to alcohol using yeast, but other fermentation processes involv ...

from

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 Gui ...

. There are two types of brem, brem cake (solid) that is usually eaten as snack from

Madiun Madiun ( jv, ꦑꦸꦛꦩꦝꦶꦪꦸꦤ꧀, translit=Kutha Madhiun) is a landlocked city in the western part of East Java, Indonesia, known for its agricultural center. It was formerly (until 2010) the capital of the Madiun Regency, but is now ad ...

and

Wonogiri Wonogiri Regency is a regency () in the southeastern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,822.36 km2, and its population was 928,904 at the 2010 Census and 1,096,138 at the 2020 Census. The capital and largest t ...

, and brem beverage (liquid) made of

rice wine Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the s ...

from

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and ...

and Nusa Tenggara, but mostly known from Bali. Brem first appeared in Java around the year 1000, based on investigations regarding old Javanese inscriptions and literature.The appearance of Brem in Java and its surroundings
Brem as a beverage is consumed and holds important use in certain temple ceremonies of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

called Tetabuhan, as an offering beverage for ''Buto Kala'' (lit. Kala the Giant) in order to evoke harmony. Brem can be either white or red depending on the proportions of white and black

glutinous rice Glutinous rice ('' Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amyl ...

used in production. As a liquid, brem's taste can range from very sweet to semi-sweet, yet acidic and contains alcohol with varying degree, usually from 5% to 14%. Brem cake is produced in two places, Wonogiri and Madiun. This kind of brem is believed by Indonesian consumers to be important for stimulating the

circulatory system The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

. It is also reported to prevent

dermatitis Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved c ...

, most likely due to the presence of significant amounts of B vitamins produced by the

microorganisms A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

used in its fermentation. This product is consumed as a

snack A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snacks are ...

and is not part of the daily family diet.

Production of brem

Fermented beverage

Liquid brem is made from a fermented mash of black/ white glutinous rice (known as ''Ketan'') using a dry-starter called '' Ragi tape''.

Glutinous rice Glutinous rice ('' Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amyl ...

is soaked and drained, steamed for 1 hour, and then cooled down. The cooled rice is then inoculated with ''Ragi tape'' and

amylolysis Amylolytic process or amylolysis is the conversion of starch into sugar by the action of acids or enzymes such as amylase. Starch begins to pile up inside the leaves of plants during times of light when starch is able to be produced by photosynthet ...

begins. A honey-like rice syrup settles in the bottom of the malting vessel. Following 3 days of conversion from rice starch to sugar, a

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

culture is added and alcoholic

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...

begins. Alcoholic fermentation typically goes on for two weeks.

References

External links

Pictorial of brem production at Dewi Sri

{{Indonesian cuisine Fermented foods Rice wine Types of beer Indonesian snack foods Indonesian alcoholic drinks

Production of brem

Fermented beverage

See also

References

External links