Rujak ( Indonesian spelling) or rojak ( Malay spelling) is a salad dish of Javanese origin, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The most popular variant in all three countries is a salad composed of a mixture of sliced fruit and vegetables served with a spicy

palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed simila ...

dressing. There is a variety of preparations, especially in

Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions by various ethnic groups that formed in the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed ...

, and rujak is widely available throughout the country. While the most common variant is primarily composed of fruits and vegetables, its sweet and tangy dressing is often made with

shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a Fermentation, fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed Shrimp and prawn as food, shrimp or krill mixed ...

. Some recipes may contain seafood or meat components, especially in Malaysia and Singapore, where a notable variant shows influence from Indian Muslim cuisine.

Etymology

The word "rujak" comes from the word ''rurujak'', as attested in the ancient Taji Inscriptions (901 CE) from the era of the Mataram Kingdom in Central Java. The dish was later introduced to other regions and neighboring countries by the Javanese diaspora as well as by Indian migrants from Java. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is spelled "rojak".

Cultural significance

In Indonesia, particularly among the Javanese, the sweet, spicy, and sour tastes of rujak are popular among pregnant women; this craving for unripe

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

and other sour-tasting fruits is known as ''ngidham'' or ''nyidham'' in Javanese. In Javanese culture, rujak is an essential part of the traditional

prenatal Prenatal development () involves the embryonic development, development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparity, viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic develop ...

ceremony called '' naloni mitoni'' or ''tujuh bulanan'' (literally: "seventh month") and is meant to wish the mother-to-be a safe, smooth, and successful labour. The recipe for this ceremony is similar to typical fruit rujak, with the exceptions that the fruits are roughly shredded instead of thinly sliced, and that ''jeruk bali'' (

pomelo The pomelo ( ; or pummelo, ''Citrus maxima''), also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fr ...

/pink

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...

) is an essential ingredient. Javanese people believe that if the rujak tastes sweet, the child will be a girl, and if it is spicy, it will be a boy. ''Mangarabar'', or rujak-making, is a special event for the

Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo people ( ...

and

Mandailing The Mandailing (also known as Mandailing Batak) people are an ethnic group in Sumatra, Indonesia that is commonly associated with the Batak people. They are found mainly in the northern section of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. They came und ...

people of Tapanuli,

North Sumatra North Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan on the east coast of the island. It borders Aceh to the northwest, Riau to the sou ...

, following a harvest, with entire villages getting involved. In Malaysia and Singapore, "rojak" is also used as a colloquial expression for an eclectic mix, in particular as a word describing the multiethnic character of the two societies.

Indonesian rujak

''Rujak buah'' (fruit rujak)

In Indonesia, ''rujak buah'' is also known as ''rujak manis'' (sweet rujak). The typical Indonesian fruit rujak consists of slices of assorted tropical fruits, such as water apple,

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

, unripe

, jicama,

cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.kedondong, ambarella, and

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...

. Sometimes, variants of green apple,

bilimbi ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' (commonly known as bilimbi, cucumber tree, or tree sorrel) is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus ''Averrhoa'', family (biology), family Oxalidaceae. It is believed to be originally native to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia but ...

, and

are added. The sweet and spicy rujak dressing is made of water,

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...

, crushed peanuts,

, salt, and

bird's eye chili Bird's eye chili or Thai chili ( owing to its shape) is a chili pepper variety (botany), variety from the species ''Capsicum annuum'' that is native to Mexico. Cultivated across Southeast Asia, it is used extensively in many Asian cuisines. It m ...

. The fruits are cut to bite-sized pieces, and the dressing is poured on top. An addition of ''sambal garam'' powder (a mixture of salt and ground red chilli) is offered on the side for a saltier flavor. Javanese people call this version of rujak ''lotis''.

''Rujak cuka''

''Rujak cuka'' literally means "vinegar rujak". It is a speciality of

Sundanese cuisine Sundanese cuisine (; ) is the cuisine of the Sundanese people of West Java, Western Java, and Banten, Indonesia. It is one of the most popular foods in Indonesia. Sundanese food is characterised by its freshness; the famous lalab eaten with sa ...

of West Java, noted for its sourness. It is made of shredded fruits such as pineapple and unripe mango, and vegetables such as jícama, cabbage, bean sprouts, and cucumber. It is quite similar to '' asinan'', due to its sour and spicy dressing, since both dishes contain vinegar, palm sugar, and chilli.

''Rujak tumbuk'' (''rujak bēbēk'')

This is another variant of Indonesian fruit rujak, from West Java. The ingredients are almost the same, except that they are ground or mashed together ( or in Indonesian) in a wooden mortar. The fruits include green plantain, raw red yam, jicama, apple, ''kedondong'', and unripe mango. The dressing is not poured on the fruit but mixed in. Traditionally, ''rujak tumbuk'' was served on banana leaf plates called ''pincuk'', though nowadays, it is more often served in plastic cups.

''Rujak serut''

Literally meaning "shredded rujak", ''rujak serut'' consists of similar ingredients as standard ''rujak buah'', with the exceptions that the fruits are not cut into bite-sized pieces but shredded into a roughly grated consistency.

''Rujak u' groeh''

A delicacy from

Aceh Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...

province, this rujak consists of very young and tender coconut meat, young (green) papaya, bird's eye chili, sugar,

, ice, salt, and a dash of lime.

''Rujak pengantin''

''Pengantin'' means "bride-and-groom pair" in Indonesian. This variant of rujak contains slices of boiled eggs, potatoes, fried tofu, pineapple, carrot,

bean sprouts Sprouting is the natural process by which seeds or spores germinate and put out shoots, and already established plants produce new leaves or buds, or other structures experience further growth. In the field of nutrition, the term signifies ...

, pickles, chilli, lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, emping crackers, roasted peanuts, peanut sauce, and vinegar. It is somewhat like Central Javanese gado-gado.

''Rujak kuah pindang''

''Rujak kuah pindang'' is a popular street food in

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, 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 o ...

, where instead of the normal dressing, the fruits are soaked in a spiced fish broth, which consists of terasi shrimp paste, salt, bird's eye chilli, red chilli, and pindang fish broth.

''Rujak terasi''

This version of rujak is from

Lombok Lombok, is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is rou ...

and consists of slices of fruits such as mango, june plum, pineapple, and papaya, mixed with

sambal Sambal is an Indonesian chili sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of chillis with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste (terasi), garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an Indonesia ...

containing roasted shrimp paste.

''Rujak cingur''

(pronounced "ching-ur") literally means "mouth" in Javanese. This variant of rujak originates from

Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...

and has a meaty taste, as it contains slices of cooked buffalo or cow lips, jícama, unripe mango, pineapple, cucumber, '' kangkung'' (water spinach), ''

lontong ''Lontong'' () is an Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian dish made of compressed rice cake in the form of a Cylinder (geometry), cylinder wrapped inside a banana leaf, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Rice is rolled inside a bana ...

'' rice cake, tofu, and

tempeh Tempe or tempeh (; , ) is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. A fungus, '' Rhizopus oligosporus'' or '' Rhizopu ...

, all served in a black sauce made from '' petis'', and crushed peanuts. It is topped with a sprinkle of fried

shallot The shallot is a cultivar group of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the difference was t ...

s and

krupuk ' (Javanese language, Javanese) is an Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian deep frying, deep-fried Cracker (food), cracker made from starch and other ingredients that serve as flavouring. They are a popular snack in parts of Southeast Asia, but are ...

prawn crackers.

''Rujak petis''

Another variant from Surabaya, it contains slices of jícama, unripe mango, cucumber, water spinach, ''kedondong'', tofu, 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. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...

sprouts, all served in a black sauce made from ''petis'', fried shallots, salt, palm sugar, unripe banana, and crushed peanuts.

''Rujak tolet''

Also from Surabaya, ''rujak tolet'' includes fried tofu, fried garlic, and optionally, beef tendons. The sauce is ''petis''-based, mixed with palm sugar, slices of raw bird's eye chilli, and sweet soy sauce.

''Rujak juhi''

''Juhi'' means salted

cuttlefish Cuttlefish, or cuttles, are Marine (ocean), marine Mollusca, molluscs of the order (biology), suborder Sepiina. They belong to the class (biology), class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique ...

in Indonesian. This variety of rujak contains fried tofu, fried boiled potatoes, fried shredded salted cuttlefish, cucumber, noodles, lettuce, cabbage, peanut sauce, vinegar, chilli, and fried garlic. It originates from the Chinese community in Batavia (now

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

) and is similar to '' Asinan Betawi''.

''Rujak Shanghai''

This version of rujak was created by Indonesia's Chinese community in Kota Tua Jakarta. It contains seafood, boiled sliced octopus,

jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...

, and water spinach, and is served with thick red sweet and sour sauce, mixed with pineapple juice and toasted crushed peanuts. Chilli sauce and pickled jicama are often served as condiments.

''Rujak soto''

A dish from

Banyuwangi Banyuwangi, previously known as Banjoewangi, is a large town and an administrative district (''kecamat5an'') which serves as the capital of Banyuwangi Regency at the far eastern end of the island of Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 106,000 ...

, East Java, this is a blend of beef soto and rujak cingur, in which the vegetables (water spinach and bean sprouts) are served with ''lontong'' in a ''petis'' sauce poured over soto soup.

''Rujak es krim''

A specialty dessert from

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

, this dish consists of fruit rujak and coconut ice cream, served with sambal.

''Rujak ebi''

''Rujak ebi'' is a fruit rujak containing ''ebi'' ( dried shrimp) and emping crackers. It is a delicacy of Singkawang, West Kalimantan.

''Rujak mie''

''Rujak mie'' is a dish from

Palembang Palembang (, Palembang: ''Pelémbang'', Mandarin: 巨港 (Jùgǎng), Hokkien: 舊港 (Kū-káng), Jawi: ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River in the ea ...

, consisting of noodles, tofu, slices of ''

pempek ''Pempek'', ''mpek-mpek'' and also known as colloquially as ''empek-empek'' is a savoury Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian fishcake delicacy, made of Fish as food, fish and tapioca, from Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia. Pempek is served with a ...

'', cucumber, lettuce, and sweet spicy broth.

''Rujak kangkung''

''Rujak kangkung'' is made from water spinach, sweet spicy sambal, and krupuk. It is a delicacy from Kuningan, West Java.

''Rujak belut''

In Brebes, a version of rujak called ''rujak belut'' is common, consisting of fried

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

smeared with sambal and served with fresh chopped shallot and tomato.

''Rujak bulung''

''Rujak bulung'' is a traditional dish from Bali containing

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

mixed with

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

, grated coconut, grated

galangal Galangal () is a rhizome of plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, with culinary and medicinal uses originating in Indonesia. It is one of four species in the genus ''Alpinia'', and is known for its pungent, aromatic flavor. Greater gal ...

, and seasoning made from salt, sugar, chili peppers, and shrimp paste.

''Rujak kembang katis''

''Rujak kembang katis'', or ''rujak bunga pepaya'' in Indonesian, originates from

Bangka Island Bangka is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is administered under the province of the Bangka Belitung Islands, being one of its namesakes alongside the smaller island of Belitung across the Gaspar Strait. The 9th largest island in ...

. It consists of

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, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

leaves and papaya flowers, as well as other vegetables, together with peanut sauce.

''Rujak teplak''

Tegal Regency Tegal Regency ( Javanese:ꦏꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦠꦺꦒꦭ꧀) is one of the regencies (''kabupaten'') in the northwest corner of Central Java province of Indonesia, with an area of . The regency's administrative center used to be in Tegal C ...

, ''rujak teplak'' is a common variety of rujak consisting of vegetables such as water spinach, cabbage, bean sprouts,

asparagus bean The asparagus bean (''Vigna unguiculata'' subsp. ''sesquipedalis'') is a legume cultivated for its edible green pods containing immature seeds, like the green bean. It is also known as yardlong bean, pea bean, long-podded cowpea, Chinese long ...

s, papaya leaves, cassava leaves, and banana blossoms, smeared with spicy sauce made from chilli, peanuts, and cassava. The dish is served with a noodle cracker called ''kerupuk mie''.

''Rujak gamel''

''Rujak gamel'' is a specialty rujak of Gamel village in

Cirebon Regency Cirebon Regency is a Regency (Indonesia), regency ''(kabupaten)'' of West Java Province of Indonesia. The town of Sumber, Cirebon, Sumber is its regency seat. It covers 1,076.76 km2 and had a population of 2,068,116 at the 2010 censusBiro Pu ...

, West Java. It consists of noodles, boiled water spinach, cabbage, tofu,

fritter A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been Batter (cooking), battered or breading, breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-frying, deep-fried. Fritters ar ...

eggplant Eggplant (American English, US, Canadian English, CA, Australian English, AU, Philippine English, PH), aubergine (British English, UK, Hiberno English, IE, New Zealand English, NZ), brinjal (Indian English, IN, Singapore English, SG, Malays ...

, and wet ''krupuk''.

Malaysian and Singaporean rojak

''Rojak buah''

In Malaysia and Singapore, fruit rojak typically consists of cucumber, pineapple, jícama, bean sprouts, ''taupok'' (puffy, deep-fried tofu) and cut-up

youtiao ''Youtiao'' (), known in Southern China as yu char kway, is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of wheat flour dough of Chinese cuisine, Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other East Asia, East and Southeast Asia ...

(Chinese-style fritters). The dressing is made of water, shrimp paste, sugar, chilli, and lime juice. Ingredients vary among vendors, with some adding

or black bean paste to the mix. The ingredients are cut into bite-sized portions and tossed in a bowl with the dressing, and topped with crushed peanuts and a dash of ground or sliced torch ginger. A popular variant found in

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

, Malaysia, is rojak Penang, which adds water apple,

guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...

, squid fritters, and honey to the mixture, and emphasizes the use of tart fruits such as unripe mangoes and green apples, while bean sprouts and fried tofu puffs are usually omitted. The dressing tends to be very thick, with an almost

toffee Toffee is an English confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses (creating inverted sugar) along with butter, and occasionally flour. The mixture is heated until its temperature reaches the hard crack stage of . While being prepar ...

-like consistency.

''Rojak India''

In Malaysia, ''mamak rojak'' (also known as Indian rojak, or '' pasembur'') is associated with

mamak stall Mamak stalls are indoor and open-air food establishments found in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia and Singapore, that typically serve food derived from Indian cuisine, Indian Muslim and Pakistani cuisine, Pakistani cuisines, unique to t ...

s, which are

Malaysian Indian Indo-Malaysians are Malaysian of South Asian ancestry. Most are descendants of those who migrated from India to British Malaya from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries. Most Malaysian Indians are ethnic Tamils; smaller groups include the ...

Muslim food stalls. The dish contains fried dough fritters, tofu, boiled potatoes, prawn fritters, hard-boiled eggs, bean sprouts, cuttlefish, and cucumber, mixed with a sweet, thick, spicy peanut sauce. In the northwestern states of

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...

, such as Penang, and

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...

, it is always called ''pasembur'', while in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, it is called ''rojak mamak''. In Singapore, Indian rojak consists of an assortment of potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, tofu, and prawn fritters, often colorfully dyed. Customers typically select their favorite items from a display, after which they are heated up in a wok, chopped up, and served with a sweet and spicy peanut and chilli sauce on the side for dipping.

''Rojak Bandung''

A Singaporean dish known as ''rojak Bandung'' contains cuttlefish, water spinach, cucumber, tofu, peanuts, chilli, and sauce. Rojak Bandung has no relation to the Indonesian city of

Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...

; in the Malay language, the term means "pairs".

References

External links

{{Salads Vegetable dishes of Indonesia Street food in Indonesia Malaysian cuisine Singaporean cuisine Javanese diaspora cuisine Indian diaspora in Singapore Salads Indonesian salads Vegetable dishes Fruit dishes Indian fusion cuisine Indian salads Indonesian Indian cuisine Indian-Malaysian culture