Rempeyek or peyek is a deep-fried savoury

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

- Javanese cracker made from

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

(usually rice flour) with other ingredients, bound or coated by crispy flour

batter Batter or batters may refer to: Common meanings * Batter (cooking), thin dough that can be easily poured into a pan * Batter (baseball), person whose turn it is to face the pitcher * Batter (cricket), a player who is currently batting * Batter ...

. The most common type of rempeyek is ''peyek kacang'' (" peanut peyek"); however, other ingredients can be used instead, such as ''teri'' (dried anchovies), ''rebon'' (small shrimp), or ''ebi'' ( dried shrimp). Today, rempeyek is commonly found in Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as in countries with considerable Indonesian migrant populations, such as The Netherlands and

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

Coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...

, salt, and spices such as ground candlenut and

coriander Coriander (;

are often mixed within the flour batter. Some recipes also add a chopped citrus leaf. The spiced batter, mixed or sprinkled with the granule ingredients, is deep fried in hot

coconut oil frameless , right , alt = A cracked coconut and a bottle of coconut oil Coconut oil (or coconut butter) is an edible oil derived from the wick, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat; in warmer climates duri ...

. 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 ''peyek'', depicting the sound of a crisp cracker breaking. Rempeyek is often associated with Javanese cuisine, served to accompany pecel (vegetables in peanut sauce) or other meals, or as a stand-alone snack. Today, it is common throughout Indonesia, and is also popular in Malaysia 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, small

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

, dried shrimp, spinach (''rempeyek bayam''), and beans such as

mung bean The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...

s and soybeans are also common types. ''Rempeyek kacang'' is especially common in the

Banyumas Banyumas ( jv, ꦧꦚꦸꦩꦱ꧀, formerly spelt "Banjoemas") Regency is a regency ( id, kabupaten) in the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Purwokerto, but that town no longer has a central adm ...

region of

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

, while ''rempeyek rebon'' (small shrimp) is common in the Javanese port town of Cirebon. 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 group Trio Macan, describes ''rempeyek'' as a commoners' dish. It served as the rallying song for supporters of Persebaya football club from

Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...

, East Java.

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