Cendol

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Cendol
Alternative namesChendol, dawet (Central and East Java), lot chong (Thailand), bánh lọt (Vietnam), mont let saung (Burma)
TypeDessert
Region or stateSoutheast Asia
Main ingredientsCoconut milk, rice flour jelly with pandan leaves juice, shaved ice, palm sugar

Cendol /ˈtʃɛndɒl/ is an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of worm-like green rice flour jelly,[1] coconut milk and palm sugar syrup.[2] It is commonly found in Southeast Asia and is popular in Indonesia,[3][4][5] Malaysia,[6] Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Vietnam, Thailand and Burma. Next to the green jelly, additional toppings might be added, includes diced jackfruit, sweetened red azuki beans,[5] to durian.[7]

Etymology

A glass of "basic" street-side cendol.

Indonesian dictionary describes cendol as a snack made from rice flour and other ingredients that are formed by filters, then mixed with palm sugar and coconut milk (for beverage).[8] There is a popular belief in Indonesia that the name "cendol" is related to, and originated from, the word jendol, in reference to the swollen green worm-like rice flour jelly;[9] in Javanese, Sundanese, Indonesian and Malay, jendol means "bump," "bulge,"[9][10] or "swollen."[11] In most parts of Indonesia, cendol refer to the green rice flour jelly; while the concoction of that green rice flour jellies with coconut milk, shaved ice, areca palm sugar and sometimes diced jackfruit is called es cendol or dawet (in Central and East Java).

In Vietnam, this worm-like rice flour concoction is called bánh lọt or "fall through cake". Bánh lọt is a common ingredient in a Vietnamese dessert drink called chè, or more commonly chè ba màu. In Thailand it is called lot chong (Thai: ลอดช่อง, pronounced [lɔ̂ːt t͡ɕʰɔ̂ŋ]) which can be translated as "gone through a hole", indicating the way it is made by pressing the warm dough through a sieve into a container of cold water.[12] In Burma it is known as mont let saung or မုန့်လက်ဆောင်း. In Cambodia, it is known as lot (លត /lɔːt/), bang-aem lot (បង្អែម​លត /bɑŋʔaɛm lɔːt/), nom lot (នំ​លត /nɷm lɔːt/) and banh lot (បាញ់​លត /baɲ lɔːt/).

History

A dawet seller with his jars of ingredients, at a market in Malang, East Java (ca.1935)

The origin of cendol is not clear, and this sweet drink is widely spread across Southeast Asia. However, it is suggested that cendol was the invention of Indonesians.[13][5] The most prevalent and oldest tradition of cendol making can be found in Java. In Banjarnegara, Central Java, dawet is traditionally served without ice. Today, however additional ice cubes or shaved ice is commonly added into this dessert drink.[14] This might suggest that in tropical Java, dawet is a traditional sweet dessert drink that predates the adoption of refrigeration technology. The ingredients heavily uses aren (sugar palm) and coconut plants. Traditionally in Java, the green jelly noodle is made from the sago starch extracted from the trunk of aren plant.[15]: 16 

In Javanese tradition, dawet or cendol is a part of traditional Javanese wedding ceremony. The dodol dawet (Javanese for "selling dawet") is performed during Midodareni ceremony, a day before the wedding. After the siraman bridal shower, the parents would sell dawet to the attending guests and relatives. The guest paid the dawet using terracotta coins that would be given to the bride as a symbol of family earnings. The symbolic meaning was as the parents' hope that the tomorrow wedding would be attended by a lot of guests, "as plenty as the cendol jellies that being sold."[16]

In 1900s, Indonesian mobile street hawker started selling cendol along Geylang street in Singapore. Cendol of the olden times Singapore were kept in a transparent glass bottle and without any cover. Blocks of ice were placed in the centre of the glass bottle.[13] Cendol was mentioned in 1932 Malaysian writing of Malay concordance project.[17] In Dutch East Indies Java, cendol or dawet street hawkers using pikulan (baskets carried with balancing rod) are commonly found in Javanese cities, as can be seen in the old photograph dated from circa 1935.

Ingredients

The dessert's original or basic ingredients are coconut milk, jelly noodles made from rice flour with green food coloring (usually derived from the pandan leaf), shaved ice and palm sugar.[5] Original cendol usually served in a tall glass, assembled with liquid gula jawa or palm sugar syrup in the bottom, followed by green jellies, poured with coconut milk, and topped with shaved ice.[5]

In Sunda, Indonesia, cendol is a dark-green pulpy dish of rice (or sago) flour worms with coconut milk and syrup of areca sugar. It used to be served without ice. In Javanese, cendol refers to the green jelly-like part of the beverage, while the combination of cendol, palm sugar and coconut milk is called dawet. Today, the green cendol jelly noodles are mainly made from rice flour, since rice is more readily available. However in Java, a traditional cendol worm-like jelly noodles was made from sagu aren, or sago starch extracted from the trunk of sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) plant.[15]: 16 

  • Cendol in Indonesia refer to the green jellies
    Cendol in Indonesia refer to the green jellies
  • A glass of simpler Thai lot chong
    A glass of simpler Thai lot chong
  • Vietnamese chè ba màu add beans
    Vietnamese chè ba màu add beans
  • Chendol in Malaysia add red beans
    Chendol in Malaysia add red beans
  • A bowl of chendol sold in Singapore
    A bowl of chendol sold in Singapore

Other than basic ingredients, the Singaporean and Malaysian versions usually have sweetened red beans in it, and served in a bowl instead of a glass.[5]

Vietnamese chè ba màu add white black-eyed peas, and red azuki beans together with green jellies. While Thai lot chong is more closer to Javanese original, only consists of green worm-like jellies, coconut milk, liquid palm sugar and shaved ice.

Variants

Cendol with durian in Indonesia

In Indonesia, the most famous variant is Javanese es dawet ayu from Banjarnegara, Central Java.[15]: 16  Another variant is a black cendol called es dawet ireng from Purworejo, Central Java. Ireng is Javanese word for "black". Instead of green pandan leaf, this black cendol acquired its color from merang or the ash of burned rice stalk mixed with water.[15]: 21 

Other than basic ingredients of green jelly noodles, palm sugar syrup, and coconut milk; iced cendol might be served with additional toppings. Additional topping includes diced jackfruit, durian flesh, and chocolate condensed milk are popular in Indonesia.[7] While in Malaysia, additional topping such as red beans, glutinous rice, grass jelly, creamed corn, might also be included.[18]

The influence of Singapore and the West has given rise to different variations of cendol, such as cendol with vanilla ice-cream or topped with durian.[19]

Selling

Cendol has become a quintessential part of cuisine in Southeast Asia and is often sold by vendors at roadsides, hawker centres and food courts.[20] Cendol vendors are almost ubiquitous in Indonesian cities, especially Jakarta, Bandung, and Yogyakarta. Originally cendol or dawet in Java was served without ice, but after the introduction of refrigeration technology, the cold cendol with shaved ice (es serut) was available and widely popular. It is possible that each country developed its own recipes once ice became readily available. This explains why it is most popular in Malayan port cities such as Malacca, Penang and Kuala Lumpur where British refrigerated ships' technology would provide the required ice. Cendol has been declared a Malaysian heritage food by the Malaysian Department of National Heritage.[21]

In Indonesia and Malaysia, cendol is commonly sold on the roadside by vendors. It is even dessert fare in Singapore, found in dessert stalls, food centres, coffee shops and food courts.[20]

  • Roadside cendol vendor in Jakarta
    Roadside cendol vendor in Jakarta
  • Dawet seller in Solo, Central Java
    Dawet seller in Solo, Central Java
  • A stall selling cendol in Penang, Malaysia
    A stall selling cendol in Penang, Malaysia
  • Teochew chendul in Penang
    Teochew chendul in Penang

In popular culture

In colloquial Indonesian, the term "cendol" has become an online rating system used in Kaskus. If an online items tweaks interest, a user punch in one or more green commas resembling a cendol.[10][22]

Cendol is also one of Indonesian food item made popular by Obama during his Indonesian visit in 2017. Obama stated that during his visit he had a lot of Indonesian food including satay, bakso, tempeh and nasi goreng, but he missed es cendol and es kelapa muda, thus he determined to have them in his last afternoon in Indonesia.[23][24]

See also

References

  1. ^ Jane Freiman (19 May 1986). "Underground Gourmet: Sampling Indonesia". New York Magazine. p. 119.
  2. ^ Witton, Patrick (2002). Indonesia, Lonely planet: World food. Lonely Planet. p. 141. ISBN 9781740590099.
  3. ^ Indonesian Desserts: Cendol, Kolak, Es Kacang Hijau, Es Teler, Es Bir. General Books LLC. 2010. ISBN 9781158259595.
  4. ^ "Recipe: Es cendol". Belindo.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Russel Wong (11 December 2011). "Making Original Cendol!". The Wong List.
  6. ^ "Shaving the Ice, Cutting the Heat".
  7. ^ a b "Es Cendol Durian". Femina (in Indonesian).
  8. ^ "Cendol". KBBI (in Indonesian).
  9. ^ a b "Cendol". ifood.TV. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  10. ^ a b Christopher Torchia; Lely Djuhari (2012). Indonesian Slang: Colloquial Indonesian at Work. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9781462910571.
  11. ^ Google translate, jendol
  12. ^ http://www.thaifoodmaster.com/recipes/dessert_recipes/2670
  13. ^ a b CHENDOL: The History Of Chendol - A Special Report. 30 October 2005. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  14. ^ "Resep Dawet Ayu". Zona Makan (in Indonesian).
  15. ^ a b c d Rian Yulianto W. Minuman Tradisional Indonesia (in Indonesian). Gulajava Ministudio.
  16. ^ "Rumitnya Upacara Adat Pernikahan Solo". Kompas.com (in Indonesian). 23 May 2011.
  17. ^ "Pekan Hari Ahad Di Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur" (in Malay).
  18. ^ Penang Food | Cendol | The Best Penang Hawker Food and Restaurant Guide Archived December 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ YourSingapore.com - Cendol
  20. ^ a b My Asian Kitchen: Cendol
  21. ^ "Malaysian Intangible Heritage Objects".
  22. ^ "Apa Maksudnya Cendol, Bata, & Bintang di Kaskus?". Kaskus (in Indonesian).
  23. ^ Abba Gabrillin (1 July 2017). "Obama Masih Penasaran dengan Es Cendol dan Es Kelapa Muda". Kompas.com (in Indonesian).
  24. ^ "Obama Penasaran dengan Es Cendol - Liputan6 Petang". Liputan6 Petang SCTV via Youtube.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cendol.
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