Dendeng is thinly sliced dried meat in Indonesian cuisine. It is preserved through mixture of sugar and spices and drying through frying process. It is similar to jerky. Dendeng originally found by Minangkabau people. But they're not sure who or where it was first founded. At first they made dendeng from beef and made it dry so it can be eaten for days and they'll brought it when they go to travel. This is the reason why in Malaysia (in "Nagari Sambilan"/Negeri Sembilan, a state in Malaysia that originally Minangkabau territory) there's no "Dendeng Batokok" because (Minangkabau people believe) that it was found after the Minangkabau people reach Negeri Sembilan, so the people there know nothing about Dendeng Batokok.
The Minangkabau version — probably the most popular dendeng dish in Indonesia — is called Dendeng Balado or Dendeng Batokok is a speciality from Padang, West Sumatra, made from beef that thinly cut then dried and fried before added with chillies and other ingredients.
Variations [edit]
The most common dendeng in Indonesia is dendeng sapi (beef dendeng), and it is usually taste sweet through addition of coconut sugar caramelization. However exotic meat type is also available especially in Eastern Indonesia. Dendeng rusa (deer dendeng) can be found in Nusa Tenggara islands and Papua. Indonesian Chinese usually favour pork dendeng called bakkwa.
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